Students at Veterans Memorial Elementary listen to a children's book author Sarah Albee in 2012
Introduction Veterans Memorial Elementary is a public school in Central Falls Rhode Island. It serves grades 1-4, with 532 students and 46 teachers. Ann Lynch is the principal, and Frances Gallo the Superintendent. The schools of the Central Falls district are historically low performing, and Veterans is no exception. The test scores are below average in every subject. Through the use of statistics and data, I hope to gain insight into the possible causes of Veterans Memorial Elementary's low achievement.
Demographics The school is located in Central Falls Rhode Island, the smallest city in the state. It is densely populated, and predominantly Hispanic. In Veterans Memorial specifically, 76% of students are Hispanic, 10% are African American, 8% White, 5% Multiracial, and 1% Native American. This is likely a reason for 30% of Students Receiving ESL/Bilingual Education Services, as opposed to 6% statewide. An example of the high rate of bilingualism is their school website being written in both English and Spanish. The 2012 Census shows that the median family income in Central Falls is $35,22; whereas statewide it is $72,872. This $40,000 difference is more than likely to have an effect on the quality of a child’s life, which could manifest in lack of school importance. As a result of the low family income, the percent of Student Eligibility for Subsidized Lunch is 88%, almost double that of the statewide 47%. Nutrition is extremely important in terms of student learning; if you do not know when your next meal is coming, then school is less meaningful.
Academic Achievement As before stated, schools in Central Falls do not do well on state tests. The following statistics from InfoWorks! Accountability Summary and Classification show just how badly. In Reading and Math evaluations, the only student group that achieved proficiency were White students; African-American students made sufficient progress. Out of 18 proficiency targets assessed, 4 were met. The NECAP Assessments also show significantly lower proficiency than that of the state in both Reading and Math for 3rd and 4th graders. 3Rd graders at VME were below 30% proficient in both Reading and Math, a dismal statistic, and 4th graders were just around 40% proficient, when the state is at 63% in math, and 70% in reading. In 2013, VME was qualified as a “Focus” school by the Rhode Island Department of Education, and was made to create and implement a school-reform plan. This plan was recently implemented, and therefore data indicating the effectiveness is yet to be determined.
Teaching Both the data from InfoWorks! And the SurveyWorks survey seem relatively promising in terms of teaching. The Teacher-Student ratio in the classroom is 1:13, just below the 1:14 statewide. The data from the survey regarding Teacher-Student relationships shows that 98.9% of students believe their teachers care about them, which is higher than 94.7% statewide; a positive difference. Also higher than the statewide 94.4%, 96.8% of students say their teachers are nice to them. Although the data report positive relationships among students and teachers, the academic achievements are still low, perhaps indicating that there is more to teaching than friendship.
Safety/ School Climate Veterans Memorial Elementary appears to be a safe and presentable environment, comparatively speaking. The SurveyWorks data shows that 86.3% of students feel safe in their school, very close to the 88.5% statewide. However the percent of students who feel safe outside of school is 64.5%, as opposed to 80.0% statewide. The attendance rate is 1% below the state at 94%. The data on bullying is very similar in this school as it is in the state; with 75.9% saying the bullying they experienced stopped after they told an adult, which is considerably higher than the state's 59.4%. The student violence rates are lower than the state, with 8.2% reporting having participated in/witnessed a fight, and 12.7% in the state; another positive difference. The statistics on Alcohol, Smoking, and Drug Use are nearly exactly on point with the state; a difference worth mentioning is the 3.1% saying they have taken an illegal drug whereas it is 1% statewide. These are elementary students, and this statistic could become increasingly important as students enter higher grade levels and drugs become more accessible. If they are being exposed to or are taking drugs at this young age, then the probability that they will abuse drugs as they grow up increases, which could in turn affect motivation and graduation rates.
Conclusion In summary, the data about Veterans Memorial Elementary school showed that 76% of students are Hispanic, 88% of students qualify for Subsidized Lunch, the median family income in Central Falls is approximately $40,000 less than that of the state, 3rd and 4th graders were significantly less proficient than the state average on the NECAP exam, the students like their teachers, and feel safe in school. The most probable cause of VME's low test scores are economic and racial factors. Most high performing public schools in the state have large white populations, whereas VME is primarily Hispanics. Also, these families are earning far less money than is common statewide, which means they cannot provide the same home life and opportunities as that of a financially stable family. These are possible causes of this school's low achievement and subsequent "Focus" classification.
East Greenwich High School is one of the most well renowned public schools in Rhode Island. It ranks on the top 1,000 high schools in all of America and is the only public school in Rhode Island to make the ranking. There is not a great deal of diversity at EGHS, but the school is known for exceling in sports, academics, and overall safety. The students at EGHS known to thrive academically and are provided with an exceptional number of opportunities to succeed. This context report will continue to brag about East Greenwich High School's achievements, funding, demographics and student life to provide an understanding of what it takes to be one of Rhode Islands more "successful" institutes.
Performance
East Greenwich High School is said to be the highest performing high school in the state. At EGHS there is a high attendance rate of 96%, which is 4% above the states average. Their attendance is positively reflected by their standardized state testing scores. On their regions standardized test the NECAPs, East Greenwich High School Students doubled the state proficiency in math and overshot the state proficiency percentage in reading, writing, and science. The SAT and AP scores at EGHS are also greater than the state average by a significant amount. With their above standard test scores in mind, it is no surprise that the graduation rate of the students at this school is 92.6% and they only have a drop out rate of 1.1% (2). In regards to sports, East Greenwich is known well for having successful record in hockey, cross-country, and tennis. Their most recent state championship won was Girls Tennis in 2013. Overall, it is evident that the students at EGHS perform well in sports and academics (1).
Funding
The school is fortunate enough to have adequate resources for their students. They have a greater percentage of school supplies and technology to go around in comparison to the state, according to surveyworks. Surveyworks also reports that EGHS has enough space and cleanliness for student learning. In regards to funding, East Greenwich High School is better funded than other public high schools in the state because funding is based on taxes and East Greenwich is one of the wealthier areas in Rhode Island (3).
Demographics
There are about 730 students at EGHS and 77 teachers in 2014. Out of the 730 students, less than one percent are in a bilingual/ESL program, 15% of the student population is non-white, 10% receive special education services, and 6% are eligible for the subsidized lunching program. The teacher-student ratio in the classroom is 1 teacher to every 15 kids, which is consistent with other public high schools in the State of Rhode Island (2).
Student Life
East Greenwich is a wealthy town with the majority of the students at EGHS being well off as well. Outside of academics, East Greenwich High School is known for their involvement in athletics. Their uniform teams have won several state championships and recently their tennis team won states as well. Besides athletics, the students of East Greenwich High School put on a Cabaret show every year. At the show, the drama club performs a variety of Broadway hits for the school. It is safe to say that EGHS is invested in academics, athletics and the arts, creating high functioning, well-rounded students (1).
Conclusion
At East Greenwich High School you will find well-rounded students from affluent backgrounds. Racially and ethnically, EGHS is not very diverse, however at EGHS the students are provided with the necessary tools and space to learn successfully. It is possible that East Greenwich may be successful because they are fortunate enough to have more funding than other schools in RI that are not as wealthy. Funding provides opportunities for extracurriculars, more student attention, and other factors that are benificial for learning. However funding is not the only factor of East Greenwich High School's success. Funding, as well as their academic, athletic, and student performcance, EGHS is a highly regarded public school in the state of Rhode Island.
Introduction:
As a future elementary school teacher, I found Claiborne Pell Elementary School in Newport, Rhode Island to be quite interesting. It is brand new and was opened in 2013. They recently shut down all four other aging elementary schools in Newport in order to save money, so they now created the Claiborne Pell Elementary School which all elementary students in Newport attend. It has 854 students which is very large for an elementary school. (Pell Elementary School) I will discuss the research I found on the school's safety, its demographics, their academic achievement, and teaching.
School Safety:
The Claiborne Pell Elementary School is beautifully built and also very new. Overall, 91.6% of students feel safe roaming the hallways of this school and 82.8% feel safe walking outside of the building. 82.9% claim that nothing has ever been stolen from them at school. (Survey Works! 2013-2014 School Level Report) These are high percentages for a school in a city. It is a good sign that so many students think positively toward the school's safety, especially for a school with such young children. Safety is the most imperative quality a school can obtain.
Demographics:
Newport is a little more diverse than other parts of Rhode Island, but still proves to be mostly white. The school's demographics are 70.2% white, 28.9 black or African American, 2.6 Asian, 6.1 American Indian or Alaskan Native, and 3.5 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. 33.2% identify as hispanic or latino. 64% of students are eligible for subsidized lunch, in comparison to 47% statewide. 5% of students are receiving bilingual education services, similarly to 6% statewide. 20% of students are receiving special education services, in comparison to 15% statewide. (Profile of Newport, Rhode Island) Although Newport is well known for its mansions, yachts, and expensive shopping, it is clear that it is not the most fortunate of areas. However, Claiborne Pell makes a lot of effort to make its students comfortable and given proper guidance.
Academic Achievement:
Academic achievement can be challenging to measure, but the state of Rhode Island uses test scores to do this. According to the NECAP scores, 3rd grade students are 48% and 57% proficient in math and reading. Overall, 3rd graders proficiency average is 56% in math and 69% in reading. The 4rd grade students at Claiborne Pell proficiency scored 51% in math and 62% in reading. In comparison to statewide which is 63% and 70% proficient. (Newport District) Their test scores show not to be the strongest and seem to be lagging about ten percent behind the overall state of Rhode Island. However, high stake test taking is controversial method of proving students' intelligence.
Teaching:
Overall, the teachers at Claiborne Pell Elementary School seem very helpful and kind through my research. 93.8% of students believe that their teachers genuinely care for them and 98.5% believe that their teachers enjoy teaching. 94.6% of the students claim that they can talk to a faculty member if they are having problems with other students or bullying. (Survey Works! 2013-2014 School Level Report) From what it seems, the faculty and staff are very kind to the students at this elementary school. This is essential, especially when working with very young children.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, I believe that the combining of all four elementary schools and making Claiborne Pell Elementary School was a smart financial decision, but I'm not sure if it was in the best interest of their students. The new location and facilities are quite nice, but elementary students require a lot of time and attention which can be challenging with a school of over 800 students. However, the teaching staff at this school seems to be very good and make the students feel cared for. Also, the school makes its students feel safe which is the most important quality when looking for a school. Overall, the school is making efforts to better the education and lives of its students.
Frank E. Thompson Middle School is a public school that is located in Newport, Rhode Island. This middle school is under the advisement of Superintendent Colleen Jermain and Principal Jamie Crowley. This school has always been for grades 6, 7, and 8, but in 2009 grade 5 was also added into the system. There are currently 564 students that attend this school and 63 teachers that work here. This middle school is located in what is arguably the biggest tourist attraction in the state of Rhode Island, and therefore has a higher price of living, so many of the students that attend this school live in poverty. In this report we will be discussing the diversity in Newport, opportunities that the school offers, and the academic profile of the school.
This school is lacking in diversity and although it may be better off than other schools surrounding it, they still are low on the economic scale. Almost 70 % of the population of this school is white children, while a lower percentage is African American, Hispanic and other races. According to InfoWorks, 69.5% of students are White, 37.7% are African American, 4.6% is Asian, 12.7% are American Indian or Alaskan Native and 12% are also “other”. 13.7% of people in Newport live in poverty, even though the average income is $58,180, which is much higher than the average income in Rhode Island. . Although the average income for Newport families is higher than other towns in Rhode Island, it is also important to remember that since these people live in a city which has a high number of tourists, the price of living is also high around these parts.
The school itself is doing well, however the grades of the students do not move far from the average student their age in Rhode Island. There is a fantastic student- teacher ratio at this school of 9: 1 for all teachers and 13: 1 for classroom teachers. There are currently no teachers with emergency certification here and there are no classes taught by unqualified teachers. There have been only 82 suspensions in the 2012-2013 school year and an extremely low absentee rate. Many of the students, over 50 %, according to a survey on InfoWorks, plan to attend a four year college. In most of the questions on these surveys, students say that they are very engaged in their learning and enjoy learning what the teachers are teaching. Students according to test scores, are succeeding largely in the writing and reading areas as well and their scores just keep improving!
This school offers many opportunities for its students to succeed. With 8 sports, 5 clubs and 2 world languages offered, the learning and experience never ends! Girls are offered basketball, softball and soccer, while boys are offered baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer and squash. Both genders are offered the opportunity of joining clubs such as Gardening, National Honors Society, Student Council, Yearbook, and Marching Band. They have a high level of parent involvement, fundraising events, and even school field trips!
As you can see from this report, Newport’s middle school is a school that keeps on improving. Although they struggle with poverty and the high price of living, the school manages to not only succeed, but to thrive. Test scores are above average and there are barely any students with subsidized lunches. Since Newport is full of mansions and some rich folk, the school is somewhat plentiful in tax money and can therefore provide more for the students, including a great staff of qualified teachers even though many of the students here live in poverty! Overall, Frank E. Thompson Middle School is an amazing school that continues to get better with age!
Sources: "Frank E. Thompson Middle School." - Newport, Rhode Island. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014. "Frank E. Thompson Middle School - School and District Data - RIDE InfoWorks." Frank E. Thompson Middle School - School and District Data - RIDE InfoWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014. School, Frank E. Thompson Middle. "Surveyworks Frank E. Thompson Middle School." SurveyWorks! 2013-2014 School Level Report (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 5 Nov. 2014. Scott, George A. "Teacher Quality: Approaches, Implementation, and Evaluation of Key Federal Efforts." N.p., 17 May 2007. Web. 5 Nov. 2014. "United States Census Bureau." Newport (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.
MeaganCoon
Introduction
Newport Rhode Island is a relatively small city with a small school district. Newport's school district downsized recently, all of the elementary schools were closed and combined into one large school. The Dr. M. H. Sullivan Elementary school was one of the schools that was closed. They were closed to try and save money and improve the education of students. This information explains the aspects of the elementary school before it was closed.
Academic Performance
The Dr. M. H. Sullivan School held students kindergarten through 4th grade and was closed at the end of the 2013 school year. The school had a student body of 234 students and a student teacher ratio of about 11:1. Infoworks did not have a large amount of information on this school because of the recent closing.The 2008 Info-works said the school met all 11 of its target and the school was said to have adequate performance The school's performance greatly improved from the 2006/2007 to 2008/2009 school years in math but they decreased in reading. In 06/07 70% of 5th graders were below proficient in math compared to 08/09 only 23% of 5th graders were below proficient. This is a very extreme improvement. In 06/07 16% of 3rd graders were below proficient in reading and in 08/09 31% were below proficient. The reading scores only improved for 5th graders at about 18%. These statistics are not nearly as extreme as the scores for math (Info-works, 2009). The NECAP scores for students in the 4th grade from the 2013-14 year were recorded as 63% proficient in Math, 70% proficient in reading and 41% proficient in science (“Info Works- 2013").
Demographics
Dr. M. H. Sullivan school has very interesting demographics. It was located in the north end of Newport and included 5 public housing projects within this small area(SALT, 2001). The student population was about 55% male and 45% female. The enrolled student population was very diverse, where many students came from various backgrounds and cultures. Ethnically, the largest percentage of race was Hispanic, accounting for about 29% of the students. After Hispanic, the second largest percentage was African American, about 27% of the students. Caucasians made up about 25% percent of the student body, which is the third largest percentage. The other 19% of the students that attended this school were Indian, Asian or other mixed ethnicities. These percentages support the fact that Newport is a city because there tends to be larger amount of diversity in cities .(USASchoolInfo.com, n.d.)
Special Programs/ Extracurricular
Dr. M. H. Sullivan School had many positive and negative aspects before it was closed in 2013. A positive aspect of the school was that it had a full day and half-day kindergarten with many programs for students. It had supportive reading and mathematics programs for grades 3-5. Not only that they also implemented the Child Opportunity Zone program to support families and children in the area. The school had a special education pre-kindergarten program included Head Start which was very helpful. Observers of Dr. M. H. Elementary said the staff and faculty were very student oriented and caring. In spite of the caring staff and specialized programs, many students were writing and reading below grade level. Even though it was a community-based school, it was not meeting the needs of all of the students attending. Though the teachers were caring and supportive of the different backgrounds of students they needed to instill a motivation for learning (SALT, 2001). It would be interesting to see if improvements were made by combining to a larger elementary school instead of keeping the divided smaller schools.
School Climate/ Safety
According to the students of Dr. M. H. Sullivan elementary school the school system appears to be a fairly safe environment some of the statistics were worrisome though. Students in the 4th grade and above were surveyed. Their results showed that many did live in troubled situations.The amount of 4th and 5th graders surveyed that said they smoke and drank alcohol was surprising. The numbers were less than 5% of students but no students at ages 9-11 should be exposed to alcohol or tobacco. About 20% of the students surveyed said they had not eaten fruits or vegetables in the past day and about 10-15% had only eaten breakfast two times or less that week. Over a quarter of the students said they get less than 7 hours of sleep a night. The teacher and principle attitudes were a little different than the students. The Dr. M.H. Sullivan school teachers surveyed below the state average for providing access to students and parents for health and social services. They also surveyed below for providing a health promoting environment and wellness programs. Even though they ranked below in both of these sections it was only by a very small percentage compared to the rest of the state. In the section that says Dr. M. H. Sullivan school has policies that support positive health practices etc. teachers surveyed said 100%, which is strange compared to principles surveyed who ranked that category less than the state average at about 90%. Both teachers and principles at Dr. M. H. Sullivan ranked it above the state average for providing health care and social services on site. The teacher surveys also claim that teachers were very involved and caring about their students and curriculum. Student surveys also support that the teachers are very involved. (Info-Works, 2009).
Facilities
Info-works surveyed students asking them a few questions about their school facility. In the Dr. M. H. Sullivan Elementary school students were asked if the school building classrooms were the right temperature. The majority of students who answered said sometimes (about 55.6%) comparatively about 11.1% said mostly 27.8% said never and only 5.6% said it was always the right temperature. When they were asked if there was always soap in the bathroom no one answered never. The majority, 62.5% said mostly. Comparing this to the statewide survey about 45% of students also said sometimes for the school temperature and about 50.3 said there was always soap in the bathrooms. When the students were surveyed about school resources about 94.4% said there was always enough books for every student. This is almost dead on the statewide surgery result. About 63.5% said the desks were the right size, compared to the statewide result of 69.6%. In the other two aspects of the school facility survey Dr. M. H. Sullivan school was ranked very low. 27.8% of students said their school looked nice on the inside and 36.8% said it looked nice on the outside. The statewide survey for both of hose categories rank somewhere in the 80% range. This shows the school was in need of some renovations (Info-works, 2012).
Conclusion
Overall the M.H. Sullivan Elementary school was a fairly good elementary school. Before it closed the school supported and provided for many students and teachers in the area. There were many things that needed improvement and possible school renovations. At the same time the math and reading scores were starting to improve so education was heading in the right direction. It would be interesting to see where Dr. M. H. Sullivan would be today if it had not been closed.
Intro- For this project, I deepened my understanding of American public schools by analyzing and researching a school. The goal of this project was to relate it to potential reform approaches for education as a whole. The research of this high school may be relevant for people trying to learn about the area of Newport in regards to education. Also it may be interesting to those who want to improve this school system to see where they have low percentages or to see where they have high percentages.
Rogers High School is located on 15 Wickham Road in Newport, Rhode Island. Rogers High School has the mission of providing a challenging and appropriate education in a safe environment. Their goal for the students after four years of learning is that they will become successful, functioning citizens in society similarly to any other high school. In the early 1800s, Rogers was a private school for males only not until 1873 where it then became public and allowed education for both sexes. In 1957 it opened its current location on Wickham Road. (Rogers High School)
Demographics- It is always imperative to look at a school’s demographics to completely understand it in order to analyze the education of the students. Rogers has 583 students taught by 60 teachers (Rhode Island Department of Education). There is a majority of females at this school at 51% (Rhode Island Department of Education). This high school is public in the Newport School District. The superintendent is Colleen Jermain and the school’s principal is James Nelson (Rhode Island Department of Education). In Newport in general it is important to note that the median family income in 2012 is $53,921 in comparison to Rhode Islands, which is $68,326 (Kids Count). This shows that families in Newport don't make as much money as other families in the rest of Rhode Island. Students that go to Rogers High School live in families that aren’t very well off but are in families that are close to the poverty line.
Student Achievement- Rogers High School is average and even a little below average in comparison to the rest of Rhode Island when looking at assessment scores and student achievement. For example, in the NECAP exams Rogers students scored below average in their 11th grade Math Scores where 25% of students scored Proficient while in comparison to the state, 35% of students as a whole scored Proficient in 11th grade Math (Rhode Island Department of Education). In their SAT scores in Reading, Rogers students are again average with getting a score of 478 (out of 800) which is the exact same score the state got on average (Rhode Island Department of Education). Finally, their AP scores were low at Rogers 32% of students scored at college level mastery while 55% of students in the state as a whole scored at that same college level (Rhode Island Department of Education). Newport as a whole has a graduation rate of 67% in 2013 while the state’s is 80% (Kids Count). Unfortunately, in the area of graduation rates Rogers High School is below average. This does make sense though because students are living in some level of poverty. By living in poverty, it shows that students will have a lower graduation rate than those who aren’t living in poverty. This proves that the majority of the state is not living in poverty and therefore has a pretty high graduation rate at 80%. Overall though, all of this information and statistics show that Rogers High School is a very average school. In some instances and in some assessments Rogers is even below the average of the rest of Rhode Island. Although the Newport School District wants their students to become successful citizens in our society there are lagging on their excellence (Rogers High School). These students are not failing or excelling, they are simply mediocre being below the average.
Teaching- Although Rogers has many students at 538, they also have a lot of faculty as well to give students the best education possible (Rhode Island Department of Education). The student to teacher ratio is 1:10 at Rogers in comparison to the state student to teacher ratio at 1:11 (Rhode Island Department of Education). Again, this aspect of Rogers makes it very average when you look at Rhode Island’s state numbers. There are 0% of teachers with Emergency Certification at Rogers, which is less than the average across the state at 1% of teachers (Rhode Island Department of Education). When students took the SurveryWorks, they ranked their teaches are sometimes challenging them and usually giving clear instructions and lesson plans. The other high schools in the state had similar responses. The teachers should always be doing these sorts of things in order to give the students the best education possible. This is another aspect of Rogers High School that makes it average amongst other high schools in Rhode Island.
Families & Communities Rogers is fairly diverse. Due to racial/ethnic backgrounds, 46% of students are white, 25% are African American, 21% are Hispanic, 4% are multiracial, 2% are Native American, and 1% are Asian. 61% of students at Rogers are eligible for subsidized lunch, which is pretty high in relation to statewide eligibility for lunch at 47% (Rhode Island Department of Education). Again, this is showing how diverse Rogers student population really is, the majority of students are eligible for subsidized lunch. Also, 12% of students receive special education services again showing how diverse the students at Rogers are (Rhode Island Department of Education). For students who do not speak English and have come from various ethnic backgrounds, 5% of students use the bilingual education services that they have at Rogers (Rhode Island Department of Education). In relation to that state of Rhode Island, again Rogers is average in their families and communities.
Safety and Support- Rogers High School is a safe and somewhat supportive school for their students, which is the goal of their mission statement (Rogers High School). They have an 88% attendance rate throughout the year which is a little below average of the state’s rate at 92% (Rhode Island Department of Education). They only had 133 suspensions in 2012-2013 showing that the school is safe (Rhode Island Department of Education). But, some aspects of the school are not as supportive as a high school should be. For example, 21.8% of students dropped out in the year of 2012-2013, which is fairly high in comparison to the states drop out rate at 9.1% (Rhode Island Department of Education). Their graduation rate is lower than the states average as well at 68.2% while the states is at 79.7% (Rhode Island Department of Education). Rogers needs to step up its game in order to support its students better so that they can have a higher graduation rate and a lower drop out rate.
Conclusion- When looking at a school in Newport, one would expect it to be exceptional due to the fact that many rich vacation here. But that is simply not the case. Newport is average when compared to the rest of the state. In some aspects Newport is even below average, mediocre. Rogers again is an ordinary high school in Rhode Island. Students are somewhat successful but some measures need to be taken in order for the high school to be better than average allowing their students to excel. Rogers is a relatively small high school with students living in poverty. The majority of Rogers test scores are about average in comparison to the state but more than half, (60%) of students receive free lunch. This essentially means that those students living in poverty are also excelling. This is definitely an exceptional aspect of this school. Students struggling in their home lives are doing well on their standardized tests. Although they are doing well in comparison to others that are in poverty, Rogers is still an average high school. All of my research of Rogers High School is important to the reader because they can learn which part of the high school that needs improvement as oppose to which parts are successful. It could help parents decide if they want their children to go to this school or not. Also reformers could look at this report and analyze it further seeing how they can improve this school as well as other public high schools in Rhode Island.
Introduction Barrington High School (BHS) is located at 220 Lincoln Avenue, Barrington, Rhode Island. According to the US News Education Report, Barrington High School is ranked #1 in the state of Rhode Island, and #440 nationally. Barrington High School is the only public high school in Barrington, Rhode Island. It holds grades 9-12. In this report, demographics, academic performance, school climate and safety, and extracurricular and special programs will be discussed. DemographicsBarrington High School is not very culturally diverse as 90% of its students are White. This compares closely to the Barrington community, which has a 89% White population (InfoWorks). The remainder of the high school population is made up of 6% Asian, 1% African American, 1% Hispanic, 1% Native American, and 1% Multicultural. 51% of students are male and 49% female. The economic well-being of the students at Barrington High School is accurately represented by the Barrington community data. Academic PerformanceBarrington High School greatly exceeds state and national averages on common standardized testing. On the 11th grade NECAP Assessments in the 2013-2014 year, 98% of BHS students were proficient in Reading, compared to 81% in the state. 82% were proficient in writing compared to 66% of the state. 79% were proficient in math compared to 35% statewide. 58% of students in Barrington were proficient in science as opposed to only 30% in the state of Rhode Island. Also in the 2013-2014 year, 92% of BHS students took the SAT Exams and scores surpassed statewide and nationwide averages. Lastly, nearly quarter of students took AP exams, 88% of which scored at college-level mastery. In the state, 55% of the exams taken were scored at college-level mastery. School Climate and SafetyBarrington High School had a 95.6% graduation rate, as opposed to a 79.7% statewide in the 2013-14 year.
Only 1.2% of students dropped out of Barrington High School, while 9.1% dropped out of other high schools in Rhode Island.
The usual attendance rate is 95%, again higher than the state percentage.
Extracurricular and Special Programs Barrington High School offers many opportunities for extracurricular student involvement. They have one of the top athletic records in the state. They have 26 varsity sport teams claiming 10 division championships and 1 state championship in the 2013-2014 year. Of the 1027 students, 613 were involved in sports in this past year. Aside from sports, Barrington High School recognizes 37 other clubs and activities. Barrington is also well known for its impressive special education department, as 11% of students are receiving special education services. This is compared to the statewide percentage of 15% total. ConclusionIn conclusion, Barrington High School is a high performing school. They pride themselves on high academic and athletic performance. Students thrive in this safe and supportive environment which they live and learn.
"Barrington High School." U.S.News & World Report- Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
"Barrington High School - School and District Data - RIDE InfoWorks." InfoWorks! N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
Finn, George. "Athletics and Student Activities." Barrington High School. N.p., 11 Sept. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
"Students from Various Racial/Ethnic Backgrounds." InfoWorks! N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
HalleGoldberg
Claiborne Pell Elementary School
According to the Claiborne Pell Elementary School website, "The mission of Pell Elementary School in partnership with students, parents, staff and community is to promote a positive and safe environment, where students want to be and a school where parents want to send their children. This partnership ensures equity, personalization, communication, visibility and academic rigor that produces responsible, respectful, lifelong learners and citizens."
Introduction:
Claiborne Pell Elementary school is located at 35 Dexter Street, Newport, Rhode Island. This school is fairly new, as it opened in the 2013-2014 school year. This public school is in the Newport school district, ran by superintendent Colleen Jermain and principals Kimberly Behan Ed. D. and Jane Perkins. The school educates 854 students from grades PK-4.
Demographics:
This school is somewhat culturally diverse. It is 80% white and 29% african american. Only 33% are latino or hispanic, compared to the state which is 23% latino or hispanic. State wide 80% of residents are white and 13% are african american. 2.6% of the school is made up of asians and 6% is american indian. The school is made up of 48.5% boys and 49.2% girls.
Academic Performance:
The student achievement in this school is average. However, for the most part, proficiency on the school exams were lower than the proficiency for the state itself. It shows that teachers interact well with students. A large amount of students are determined to finish high school.
Safety and Climate:
The school has a very high attendance rate at 95% which is exactly equal to that of the state wide. More students feel safer walking in the halls of their school rather than walking outside of their school. 82.8% of students feel safe walking outside of their school. There is a 17% of students being robbed at this school which is more than the percentage statewide. The bullying rate at this school is also rather high, at around a little over 40%. Also, more than the statewide. 12.3% of students have been involved in a fight and 10.5% have seen another student with a weapon at school.
School resources:
The school resources percentages are very high. There is almost 100% of books available for every student in the school and the same percentage for the appearance of the school inside. However, only 75% for having enough computers for students to use.
Claiborne Pell Elementary is a developing school and hopes to continue sending their students off to do great things in higher levels of education. It is a Green Ribbon school, and has pride in the many activities it provides.
Cole Middle School
Cole Middle School is located in East Greenwich, Rhode Island at 100 Cedar Avenue (2). This is a Public School under Superintendent Victor Mercurio and Principal Alexis Meyer (2). Students in grades 6 through 8 attend Cole Middle School before continuing on to East Greenwich High School or a private school of the student's desire. Grade 6 was recently added to the school in the 2011-2012 school year. There are a total of 590 students and 55 teachers. The majority of the students who attend Cole Middle School live in the town of East Greenwich. The school's population is about the same of the surrounding towns. The school offers standard opportunities and follows the Common Core Curriculum. The following is a report about the community that attends and is involved with Cole Middle School and the academic rigor and curriculum that is followed.
School Demographics and Geological Location
Cole Middle School located in the East Greenwich district has a total of 590 students, with about an even amount in each grade, 6 through 8. Out of the 590 students who attend, 51.5% are female and 44.1% are male. These are very comparable to the state's ratio of female to male. In addition, 86% of these students are white, 5% are Asian, 4% are Multiracial, 4% are Hispanic, and 1% are African American (3). This is about consistent with the percentages at East Greenwich High School and the surrounding elementary schools. In the town of East Greenwich, 94.7% are white and less than 5% of residents are of another race. East Greenwich proves to be one of the wealthier more affluent towns in the state with an average yearly income of nearly $170,000 for a household and $190,000 per family (3). The overall diversity of the school is limited, but this is because of the limited diversity of the town. Due to it being a small town, there is little opportunity for rich diversity and difference within the small population that attends Cole Middle School.
Student Achievement
The students at Cole Middle School have impressive achievement compared to the state of Rhode Island. Overall, Cole Middle School students prove to be proficient according to NECAP standards. In 6th grade reading, 96% of students are proficient compared to the state's lower score of 72%. 7th grade reading shows a similar pattern with 96% students proficient at Cole Middle and only 69% proficient for the state's middle schoolers. Similarly, in 8th grade reading 94% are proficient while only 74% are proficient in the entire state. According to SurveyWorks, students claim that technology is a large factor in their English education, which may improve scores. In 6th grade math, 87% are proficient while only 59% are proficient in the state (3). In 7th grade math 91% are proficient while, again, only 59% are proficient in the state. Finally, in 8th grade math 85% are proficient, while 57% are proficient in the state. Almost half of the 8th grade proficient math students at Cole Middle school are proficient with distinction, which is severely better than the rest of the state. This is similar for the grades below, but is significant because of the future of these students' math career in high school. It reflects their success upon leaving the middle school and preparedness for high school. The 8th grade students writing scores and science scores are also significantly higher than the rest of the states at 86% proficient and 76% proficient, respectively. The states proficiency is only 56% and 30%, respectively. In the NCLB program at Cole Middle School, out of the 12 students who were evaluated for the 2013-2014 school year all 12 were proficient in reading and mathematics (3). These are extremely important indicators to the success of the school's curriculum and teaching style. It also brings into question the school's demographics and their impact on the overall test proficiency scores.
Teaching
The teaching at Cole Middle School can be argued to be relatively successful if evaluation is based on NECAP scores, but this cannot be said with validity with out considering numerous factors. The teacher:student ratio is 1:16. The state's teacher:student ratio is 1:14. There is no significant difference between these two ratios. It is surprising that in a district that has a higher than average income, there isn't more profit and funds to reduce the ratio below the state's average. 30% of teachers and staff at Cole Middle School have a bachelor's degree, while 35.6% of the state's teachers have a bachelor's degree (1). 51.4% have their master's degree at Cole Middle School, while 49% of the state's teachers do. Less than 5% have an associate's degree or less at Cole Middle School and less than 15% of teachers at Cole Middle School have a post-master's degree or above (1). This data overall shows that Cole Middle School's teachers are proficient and acceptable to be enriching students, the contents of their knowledge are unknown and therefore, proficiency can only be based on degrees earned.
Family, Community, and Home Life
The family, community, and home lives of students who attend Cole Middle School are significantly better than the state's average. Students seem to be aware of the heavy involvement of their family and community in their education. Students in this community have very little diversity. This is reflected through the need for subsidized lunch. Only 7% of students at Cole Middle School qualify for subsidized lunch which is 40% less than the state's average (3). According to student surveys, the majority of students feel as though they are being well supported at home and within the community. Students believe that they are receiving ample support from their parents or guardians, and almost all of them believe that there is an adult within the school that is concerned about their well being.
Safe and Supportive Schools
Cole Middle School, according to student surveys and statistics, is a very safe and supportive school. There is a 97% attendance rate a CMS and only 5% chronic absenteeism. This is fairly low compared to the state's 15% chronic absenteeism. About 60% of students say that they feel safe in the hallways of their school, which is a lot higher than the state's percentage of 30% (3). These statistics are very similar when students leave the school. These numbers show how the students feel about their communities and how they feel about their overall safety in a place where they spend the most time. The majority of students at CMS feel that they are respected by teachers and staff and that they have a relatively good relationship with teachers. They feel close enough to their teachers and have trust in them. They feel as though they can talk about personal issues and school issues with someone other than a parent or guardian. Having a supportive school life and community can allow a child to ignore their perhaps troubled home life and do better and try harder in school. If a child knows they are supported and cared about, it is argued that they will do better in a school setting.
Funding and Resources
Students believe they have adequate resources for learning and having school experiences. They have considerably new textbooks, adequate gym equipment, and technology that works more often than not. According to SurveyWorks, the students feel as if the school is meeting their needs in terms of technology and materials. The school, not more than 5 years old, is clean and up to standard. Per pupil spending is lower than the state average at $14,187 (this is a total for all students in the EG School System). 59% of funding goes towards teaching, 16% to operations, 15% to instructional sport, and 6% to leadership (3). This school seems to have very sufficient funding, but the funding division leads to some questions. Where exactly does the money go? Overall, CMS has sufficient and adequate funding and resources.
Cole Middle School is an above average middle school that provides safety, adequate teaching, and outstanding academic achievement. Compared to most schools in Rhode Island, Cole stands out due to its exceptional NECAP scores as well as the overall happiness of the students who attend. Although not rich in diversity, the location and socioeconomic status of the average towns person brings into question what the most suitable environment is for a growing learner.
(3) "Archie R. Cole Middle School." RIDE InfoWorks. Rhode Island Department of Education, 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
VictoriaKern
Broad Rock Middle School Introduction
Broad Rock Middle School (BRMS) is a public school in Wakefield, Rhode Island that serves fifth and sixth grade students. Located in a suburban town in Southern New England, BRMS contains 510 students and 53 teachers (Broad Rock Middle School). Broad Rock is under the management of Superintendent Kristen Stringfellow and Principal Kathleen Egan (Egan). The physical building and current grade structure of Broad Rock are both quite new. The school was created in the last ten years. As for the grade structure, grade 5 was added and grades 7 and 8 were dropped from the school in the 2010-2011 school year. Broad Rock’s academic and athletic facilities are top-of-the-line and the school offers extensive extracurricular activities to enhance the learning that goes on inside of the classroom.
Academic Performance
Overall, Broad Rock has a 97.9% attendance rate In the Annual Measurable Objectives report for the 2013-2014 school year, Broad Rock met 11 out of a possible 12 objectives. The one objective BRMS did not meet was proficiency in mathematics in which 86% of students proved to be proficient of the NECAP examination. Although BRMS struggled to meet the math standard, 83.8% of its students proved to be proficient in reading. The rest of the state had a 61% proficiency rate in math and 74% proficiency rate in reading, so students at Broad Rock tend to do better on standardized NECAP testing than students in the rest of the state (Broad Rock Middle School).
Faculty Philosophy
Broad Rock Middle School has 53 teachers that educate their students to the best of their abilities. None of the teachers are emergency certified, which means they are better equipped to teach than teachers who an emergency certification. The classroom teacher-student ratio is 1:12, which is two more teachers to every student than the state average. The mission of BRMS is “to provide a safe learning environment that develops the whole child, academically, socially, and emotionally. Broad Rock Middle School will provide a challenging learning community with clear expectations and rigorous standards-based instruction that gives all students the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills and character necessary to successfully contribute to society” (Egan).
Demographics
Most of the students at Broad Rock Middle School are Caucasian and are from families with a moderate-income level. Across the state, 47% of students are eligible for subsidized lunch, but 19% of BRMS students have this characteristic. None of the students at Broad Rock receive English as a Second Language or Bilingual Education Services. When compared to the 6% of students who receive such services across the state, this is a staggeringly low number. When in comes to special education, 9% of BRMS students participate in special education services, while 15% of students in the state are enrolled in a special education program. As seen in the pie chart below, about 12% of students at the 5th and 6th grade school are of minority descent, with the sweeping majority being from a European background (Broad Rock Middle School).
Conclusion
Overall, Broad Rock Middle School is a respectable establishment due to its fine facilities, competent staff, and high levels of student achievement. The students are not extremely diverse but do have some socioeconomic and racial differences. The grade structure is quite unique and provides a small an appropriate learning environment for 5th and 6th grade students. Students at BRMS are able to excel because of the high level of municipal resources being funneled into their school, and the students’ high levels of academic achievement are evidence of that fact. All in all, Broad Rock does not push many educational boundaries but it does do a suitable job of providing services and opportunities to the 5th and 6th grade students of South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
Works Cited:
"Broad Rock Middle School." RIDE InfoWorks. Rhode Island Department of Education, 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
Egan, Kathy. "Student Handbook 2014-2015." Broad Rock Middle School. SK Schools, 2-14. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
Introduction Central Falls High School students are definitely not performing at a satisfactory level when compared to students in other schools in Rhode Island and in the United States as a whole. This statement can be supported by numerous statistics referring to demographics, proficiency level, SAT and AP scores, attendance rates, and graduation rates in Central Falls. This report is intended to inform families who are possibly looking to move to Central Falls or even people who are interested in working in the district of Central Falls.
Demographics Before looking at any test scores or proficiency levels of the students attending Central Falls High School, it should be noted that a very small percentage of students at this school are white. A majority of the student body is composed of Hispanics or African Americans (InfoWorks!, 2014). As stated in Diane Ravitch's book Reign of Error, before schools are able to succeed, the problem of segregation must be combated first (Ravitch, 2013). Due to the heavy population of Hispanics and blacks in Central Falls High School, this school is undeniably segregated from white schools. It is this segregation that determines the poor test scores and proficiency levels to be discussed later.
Proficiency In terms of proficiency, it should be noted that students attending Central Falls High School perform much better in reading proficiency than math. Out of all of the students accounted for, the only group that failed to meet the target for reading proficiency were African Americans. That being said, Hispanics, students with disabilities, English-language learners, and economically disadvantaged students all met the target. Unfortunately, the statistics for math proficiency were not as noteworthy. The only group under this category that met the target were Hispanics. Even though most students met the target for reading proficiency, it is important to realize that the standards were not initially set very high. For example, Hispanics all met the target for reading proficiency, however only 53.5 % of them were actually proficient. Even worse, only 18.8% of Hispanics were proficient in math, however, that was enough for them to meet the target (InfoWorks!, 2014). In conclusion, although the students of Central Falls did meet the proficiency level, the fact of the matter is, the bar was not set very high at all.
SAT & AP Score Performance Just like the math and reading proficiency levels of Central Falls High School Students, the SAT and AP scores are definitely below average in comparison to the rest of the state and even the rest of the nation, as well. For example, in all three categories of the SAT (math, reading, and writing), Central Falls students fall below the state and nationwide averages. The math average in Central Falls is 410 out of 800 which can be compared to the state average of 479 and the nationwide average of 514. The reading average of the SATs in Central Falls is 390 out of 800, while the state average is 478 and the nationwide average is 496. Lastly, the writing average in Central Falls is 375 out of 800 which can be compared to the state average of 473 and the nationwide average of 488. Along with SAT scores, AP scores are not satisfactory in Central Falls either. Only 24% of students at Central Falls High School score at college level mastery while 55% of students in the state of Rhode Island score at college level mastery on AP exams (InfoWorks!, 2012). Perhaps these test scores could be due to the fact that Central Falls students simply do not have the money to afford the proper forms of SAT prep courses or to afford review books for the SAT and AP exams. As previously noted on the community page, the economic situation of Central Falls is definitely poor.
Teacher to Student Ratio Statistics on teachers in Central Falls High School compared to the rest of the state, is one area that is satisfactory in this school. The teacher to student ratio of classroom teachers in Central Falls is 1:13, while in the state of Rhode Island this ratio is 1:14 (InfoWorks!, 2012). By having smaller class sizes, teachers will not have to focus on as many children, and therefore they may be able to devote more of their personal attention to students who may be struggling. However, this ratio is definitely not consistent with the rest of the findings of the district. Even with smaller class sizes, students in Central Falls High School are still performing below other students in Rhode Island and around the country
Attendance and Graduation Rates Two more important statistics provided by Central Falls High School is the attendance and graduation rates. First, only 88% of students in Central Falls actually attend school while in Rhode Island, 92% of students attend. Also, 40% of students of Central Falls High School are chronically absent. This is a huge number of students in comparison to the mere 24% of students in Rhode Island who have chronic absences. 73.8% of students in Central Falls High School graduate in four years while, statewide, 79.9% of students graduate on time. Lastly, the percentage of students that drop out of school in Central Falls is 14.8%, while in the state of Rhode Island, the percentage of dropouts is only 9.1% (InfoWorks!, 2012). The reason that these graduation rates are lower in comparison to the state is, indeed, because a significant amount of students do not attend school as much as they should in Central Falls. The fact of the matter is, if a student doesn't attend school they will not learn and, in turn, will definitely not graduate on time.
Conclusion Central Falls High School students are not performing as well as other students around them. They are consistently falling short on standardized tests despite having smaller class sizes. Perhaps this underachievement could be due to numerous factors such as poor health and economic hardship as outlined in the community description of Central Falls. The facts stated in the report are definitely important for a number of reasons. The first reason being that families who are planning to move to Central Falls or people who are looking to work here should be well educated on the area as well as what it has to offer. This report is also important because it is imperative Central Falls High School finds an alternative to their current methods in order to boost test scores and the overall achievement of the school.
Peace Dale Elementary School is located in the South Kingstown school district. Although it is one of several elementary schools, it receives rave reviews from parents who have children enrolled in the school. One parent writes "One of my children is special needs. He has adha. The principle is wonderful, he would take time out of his busy schedule to spend time with my son with games, checkers or just to talk". Another parent writes of the general education, "Peace Dale is a fantastic elementary school...I have two children currently in the school and they love it and are doing extremely well academically!" While opinions are wonderful, the following paragraphs will discuss how Peace Dale Elementary ranks against other schools in categories such as education, health and safety, race, income, and employment/family status.
Fourth graders that are NECAP tested at Peace Dale score higher in math and reading than both the majority of Rhode Island schools and South Kingstown schools. In reading, more than 90% of Peace Dale students are proficient or better, whereas in S.K. as a whole 90% are proficient or better and in Rhode Island overall just over 70% of students are proficient or better. In math, nearly 90% of Peace Dale fourth graders are proficient, while in S.K. about 85% are proficient and in Rhode Island only 65% of students tested proficient. In science however, S.K. is almost 70% proficient while Peace Dale is slightly below, around 66%. But Peace Dale is still ahead of the rest of Rhode Island in science, which scores at around 45% proficiency. All told, Peace Dale has more competition from its own town in bettering their test scores than it does from all Rhode Island school's averages. Its education is on a better path than most schools in the state. As far as special education goes, there are programs in place for Occupational Therapists, Early Childhood Special Needs, Physical Therapist and Speech/Language Pathologists.
While health and safety records on Peace Dale are not available, those for South Kingstown are. As of 2013, there were 0% of infants born at high risk in South Kingstown, but in all of Rhode Island there were 3%. Women with delayed prenatal care totaled 8.2% in S.K. and 13.7% in Rhode Island; and similarly infant mortality rate was 2 in every 1,000 born in S.K., but was 6.4 out of 1,000 in all of Rhode Island. Teen birth rates were 3.2 out of every 1,000 children in 2012 in S.K., and were 23.3 out of every 1,000 children born in Rhode Island. In 2013 child abuse and neglect affected 8.3 out of every 1,000 children in S.K., and affected 14 out of every 1,000 in Rhode Island overall. Out of 1,000 children 4.2 in S.K. have incarcerated parents, less than the 11.2 out of every thousand in Rhode Island. In 2012 in S.K. 38% of domestic violence incidences occurred when there were children present, while the same statistic was 31% for all of Rhode Island. Its interesting that in almost any other statistic, S.K. is safer than the rest of Rhode Island besides that one. However, evidence is fairly conclusive that South Kingstown and Peace Dale alike are safer communities than most.
Rhode Island is not known for being incredibly racially diverse, and Peace Dale is no exception. Out of the 503 students enrolled, 90.7% are white, whereas in Rhode Island 81.4% of people are white. Peace Dale has 4.2% American Indian students, 2% Asian students, 2% Hispanic students, and 1.2% black students. Rhode Island has 0.6% American Indians, 2.9% Asians, 12.4% Hispanics, and 5.7% blacks, in addition to many other races. The balance is of course, tilted one way or another because Peace Dale is not a city school and Rhode Island encompasses both city and rural communities.
The median household income for Peace Dale is $74,970 and is somewhat higher than the South Kingstown income, which is $73,624. There is a 6.4% poverty rate for Peace Dale, but S.K. has 7.1% poverty rate, most of whom are children under 18. There is an 8% unemployment rate in Peace Dale that are below the poverty line, and that number climbs to 15.7% for South Kingstown overall. Luckily, there are homeless shelters and meals given out to those who cannot afford them in the area. In S.K. about 13,139 out of 14,170 people who are capable of working are employed, and in Peace Dale 10,244 out of 11,031 who are capable of working do have a job. This translates to a 92.7% employment rate in S.K. and a 92.9% employment rate in Peace Dale. There is essentially no difference. But in Rhode Island overall there is a 90.5% employment rate, making S.K. slightly better than the state average. In Peace Dale, between 2008 and 2012, 50.4% of households were one person households, the rest were two or more. Families make up 39.9% of these households and married couple-families make up 18.4% of these households. Rhode Island overall had 42.8% of houses as one person households, the rest being two or more. Families made up 45.9% of these households and married couple-families made up 20.5 % of these households.
To conclude, Peace Dale is an above average elementary school for Rhode Island in nearly every category. Peace Dale produces students that test well and the students themselves come from financially and safety stable homes for the most part. Although it is not racially diverse, this may be due to the lack of minority children living in non-urban settings. Most parents are employed, but families come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, as they do throughout the state. Peace Dale is not only all these things, but it is also very well reviewed by parents of the students that go there.
For this project I am trying to deepen my knowledge on the schools in an area that is different than one I am used to. It will help me understand the American public school system better than I have before since I only came from one school and that is all I used to know. The research I have conducted into this Central Falls middle school could help others who are trying to understand the school system in Central Falls.
The Calicutt Middle School is located in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Central Falls, Rhode Island is just outside Providence and Pawtucket, Rhode Island which makes it a more urban area than suburban. Calcutt Middle School is located on 112 Washington Street in Central Falls, Rhode Island.Calicutt Middle School has one mission, which is posted on their website, "Calcutt Middle School is a standards-driven teaching and learning community that promotes literacy, effective communication, problem solving, critical thinking, civic responsibility and the skills necessary for living and working in a culturally diverse society." They want to help the community by helping the children first, which will in turn help the community and our society. (Central Falls School District)
This school has a wide diversity of students of all different races. The largest population in Calcutt Middle School is Hispanic with 76% of the students in the school. The next largest population in Calcutt Middle School is African American with 11% of the students.This is followed by 9% of the students being white, 3% of the students being multiracial and finally 1% of the students at Calcutt Middle School being Native American (Rhode Island Education Department). Those who live in Central Falls make a median income in this city is $29,268 which is only slightly above the needed income for a family of four, $24,000.(United States Census Bureau) and the entirety of Rhode Island families make upwards of around $68,000 a year. With the median income of Central Falls so low the schools have to step up and help the students more.
In Rhode Island schools there are these tests at the end of each grade for middle schools, they are called NECAP tests. The NECAP tests are tests that try to find out the proficiency of a subject that each student has to take, things like Reading, Writing and Math, these tests are taken at the end of each grade level. In Calcutt Middle School the 8th graders scored significantly in all areas than the rest of the state’s population. In Science 8th graders scored 8% proficiency while the rest of Rhode Island scored 30% or in Math where the 8th graders scored 15% to the 57% of all the other Rhode Island residence, that is a 42% difference between proficiency in one subject (Rhode Island Education Department). This is just the 8th grade, the 7th graders were 19% of proficient in the math they needed to know while Rhode Island as a whole was 59% proficient. In reading the 7th graders had a proficiency of 32% while the rest of the state was 69% proficient in reading (Rhode Island Education Department). Those who also go to Calcutt Middle School include 6th graders and 5th graders. The 6th graders had the proficiency of 35% in reading while the rest of Rhode Island was 72%, and they were 26% proficient at math while the rest of the state was 59%. Meanwhile the 5th graders were 36% in writing proficiency, 44% proficient in reading and 37% proficient in math. Going from last to first Rhode Island as a whole was 64% proficient in writing, 74% proficient in reading and 61% proficient in math (Rhode Island Education Department). These numbers show that the students of Calcutt Middle School are under proficiency in all areas in all grades.
The funding for the district of Central Falls and the Calcutt Middle School. In this district they spend a total of $18,910 per pupil in the district while the rest of Rhode Island only spends $15,370 per pupil. This shows that even though the spending is higher in the Central Falls district which means that the students should be doing better because they have more money spent on them to help them, but there are still things going array when it comes to scores and proficiency in subjects. In middle school they spend less than what is spent in other years of study, they spend $2,585 for middle school, that is low because most goes to the instruction and little goes to really helping the child in the long run.(Rhode Island Education Department)
Calcutt Middle School has 596 students and only 50 teachers (Rhode Island Education Department). This puts the teacher to student ratio at 1:12 but that is to all the teachers at the school so including people who do not actually teach classes. The ratio for student to classroom teacher is 1:14 (Rhode Island Education Department). In this school there is 0% of teachers with Emergency Certification while statewide it is 1% of teachers. Also in this school there are 9% of teachers who are not highly qualified teachers while in the rest of Rhode Island that is only 1% (Rhode Island Education Department).
Calcutt Middle School like most schools in Rhode Island after Common Core was established, the schools set targets they have to get done before the end of the year. This middle school in Central Falls got 6 of the 18 targets they set for themselves, which is less than half of the targets and in reality that is one third of the targets they set getting done. That is really not good because they should be able to pass all of the targets they set in the beginning of the year. They passed more targets in the reading then in math, so they are getting better in reading proficiency.(Rhode Island Education Department)
Overall in Central Falls based on different characteristics the school system should be good because it tries to provide places for their students to interact with one another and make themselves a better future. The schools are average, or at least a little below it, but for the neighborhood/community they are doing well and trying to help the students. For Calcutt Middle School they want to help the students not only be better at academics but also as people in the community as their mission states, they want to teach their students skills they would need academically but also responsibilities they would need for their communities.
Introduction West Kingston Elementary School (WKES) is a part of the South Kingstown School District and is located in Kingston, Rhode Island. The school has a student population of 297 ranging in academic level from kindergarten through grade four with a teacher student ratio of 1:13. The community of WKES is demographically diverse and a great place for learning to take place. Safety wise, the school is among the safer learning communities in Rhode Island in the eyes of both students and teachers. WKES also offers various extracurricular and special programs to the students and families of their community which give students to become more involved in the school and its activities. West Kingston Elementary School is a very productive school and is above the average educational quality for elementary schools in Rhode Island. Demographics Compared to the other elementary schools of the South Kingstown School District, West Kingston Elementary School maintains a fairly diverse community. Of the 297 person student population, 54.6% of students are male and the remaining 47.4% are females. Additionally the school's population come from a variety of backgrounds. Similarly to the student population of all Rhode Island schools, about 77% of the WKES population considers themselves white. The next most prominent race at WKES is those who classify themselves as Asians. About 12% of the school's student population classifies themselves as Asian this is fairly high considering the 5% of students who consider themselves Asian statewide. The third highest race that students identify as at WKES is black and/or African American. This accounts for about 5% of the school's student population and the remaining 6% of the population classifies themselves either American Indian, or Pacific Islander. This wide range of ethnicities present in the schools makes it a diverse learning community which gives a representation of the school which is similar to the population representation of the state. School Climate and Safety Overall, the West Kingston Elementary School environment is a very safe place. About 95% of students felt safe both inside and around the premises of the school. This safety ranking is about 10% higher than the average school ranking on the state level. When parents were asked to if their student's school was a safe place, 76.3% of WKES parents strongly agreed that their school was safe while only 42.6% of parents in the state responded the same way. Additionally, of the 2815 elementary school suspensions in Rhode Island, zero came from West Kingston Elementary School. In terms of attendance rate, the school ranks the same as the average for the state at 95% and WKES has a chronic absenteeism of 9% while the state average is 13%. West Kingston Elementary School is a very safe learning environment and ranks higher than the average Rhode Island school in that aspect. Academic Performance West Kingston Elementary School is academically higher ranking than the average Rhode Island elementary school. On testing for "No Child Left Behind," 76.4% of WKES students were proficient in reading, although this does not meet the target percentage of proficient students, it is above the 71.9% average of all Rhode Island elementary schools. On the writing portion of this test, 79% of students from WKES were proficient in reading and the students did meet the proficiency goal. This is impressive compared to the 61% average of Rhode Island elementary school students who were proficient and on average did not meet the proficiency goal. Students from WKES also ranked higher proficiency wise on the NECAP, New England Common Assessment Program. Of the third grade students at WKES, 75% were proficient in math and 78% proficient in reading these proficiency rates are high compared to the Rhode Island rates of 56% and 69% respectively. The fourth grade student proficiency for these areas was also higher than the Rhode Island averages, but not as dramatically. The academic performance of West Kingston Elementary School is impressive and in many areas above that of the average Rhode Island elementary school. Special Programs As a family involved school, West Kingston Elementary School has a wide variety of special programs available not only for the students, but also their families. Students at WKES have access to tutoring programs and before- and after-school programs focused on helping enhance the student's academic achievement. Some programs available to the families are counseling, parent support groups, and family literacy programs, all of which are focused on aiding the families. All programs are available to students and their families through their attendance of West Kingston Elementary School and may even be offered to other members of the West Kingston community. Extracurricular Activities There are many extracurricular activities offered to the students of West Kingston Elementary School. Some of the educationally based programs are the homework clubs and academic enrichment clubs such as chess club and robotics club. Other activities through West Kingston Elementary School include sports, music programs, and theater programs. All of these extracurricular activities reach out to students to enhance their learning experience and incorporate new ideas into the children's lives. Conclusion West Kingston Elementary School is a positive learning environment for children in kindergarten through fourth grade. The school safety and academic performance are what put it above many other schools in Rhode Island. Additionally, it has many programs to help the students and their families become more involved in the community. Overall, West Kingston Elementary School presents a diverse learning environment with opportunities for the whole community to become involved in. References"West Kingston Elementary School." Info Works! Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2014. Web. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/west-kingston-elementary-school
MadelineMucci
Madeline Mucci
Context Report- Newport City, RI
Dr. M. H. Sullivan School
Introduction:
The Dr. M. H. Sullivan school was closed after the 2012-2013 academic year, but it used to be located at 453 Broadway in Newport, Rhode Island 02840. It was a K-5 school, but dropped the fifth grade and kindergarten in the recent years before closing completely last year. A few other schools in Newport have been closed down in recent years as well.
Demographics:
There were 286 students in this school and 22 teachers, creating an 11 to 1 teacher to student ratio. 44% of the students were females, and 56% males. There was a 25.5% white population within the school, 27.6% black, 13.3% two or more races, 29.7% Hispanic, and a very small percentage of Asian/Pacific Islanders and American Indian/Alaskan Natives. The district spent about $16,441 in 2010 per student at the school, and 87.8% of students were eligible for Subsidized Lunch.
Student Achievement:
While test scores overall have improved over the years, both math and reading, Newport scores significantly lower than Rhode Island as a whole, and the Dr. M. H. Sullivan School scored even lower than that. From 2007-2010, the third grade math scores went up from about 10% to 35%, while reading went from 40% to 50%. Fifth grade reading stayed consistently low at around 15%, while fifth grade math jumped from 15%-40% in two years.
Teaching: No teachers in the Dr. M. H. Sullivan school had emergency certification, compared to only 1% of the Rhode Island teachers that do.
Families and Communities: need to find
VictoriaPetit
Wakefield Elementary School, grades kindergarten through fourth, is in the South Kingstown school district. Superintendent Kristen Stringfellow is in charge of the district; Principal Lynn Dougherty runs the school. 260 students attend Wakefield Elementary and twenty-seven teachers are employed there, a 1:13 student-teacher ratio. Teachers, students, and parents alike rate the school highly.
Compared to Rhode Island state averages in many categories, Wakefield Elementary School scores well. Only 17% of the students qualify for subsidized lunch, a low number compared to Rhode Island’s 47% total. 0% of the students need bilingual assistance which isn’t surprising considering 92.3% of the students are white. All targets of the No Child Left Behind Act were met except for math and reading proficiency in minority consolidated groups due to participation rate. Wakefield Elementary School has a high attendance rate at 96%, and a low absentee rate of 5%, lower than the state’s absentee rate of 13%.
In Rhode Island, there were 2,815 discipline incidents resulting in suspension during the 2012-2013 school year in elementary schools. Impressively, none of these incidents occurred in Wakefield Elementary School. Most students agree that the school rules are fair and they feel safe in school. 94.1% of students concurred they absolutely feel safe in the school building. Students reported that they frequently eat breakfast and get a sufficient amount of physical activity. On the SurveyWorks Student Survey, teachers had exceptional ratings for giving good instructions and giving a fair amount of homework. From employees' perspectives, over 70% agreed that the administration is helpful and active when needed, about 20% higher than the average evaluation. The parent-teacher communication is strong at Wakefield Elementary; 61% of teachers feel the parents of their students are well-informed when assignments are given, again 20% higher than state average. 77.8% of parents attend parent-teacher conferences frequently.
Overall, Wakefield Elementary School is impressive and well-rounded, and the school runs smoothly with the cooperation of staff, students, and parents. Many of the Survey Works ratings were higher than state averages such as attendance rates and parent-teacher relationships. In other categories like safety and finances, Wakefield Elementary School scored well too. The community as a whole is well off, and in return the school is respectable and wholesome.
“InfoWorks! South Kingstown.” Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2014. http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/wakefield-elementary-school.
“Wakefield Elementary School,” n.p. n.d. http://wa.skschools.net/. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
The Captain G. Harold Hunt School is the only pre-kindergarten school located in Central Falls. Previously, it held kindergarteners and first graders. However, in the 2013-14 school year the kindergarten and first grade programs were dropped. It is home to 141 students and 11 teachers, who aim to achieve academic success as a community.
Undoubtedly, poverty is an issue in Central Falls. Statewide, the “children in families receiving cash benefits” percentage is at 4%. In Central Falls the percentage is moderately higher at 10%. The increased poverty level at the town level is visible in the Captain G. Harold Hunt School. The student eligibility for subsidized lunch is alarmingly 44% higher than the state average, at 91%. Very much related to this statistic, the school’s attendance rate is 14% lower than the state average, at 81%. Without resources that support academic growth at home, students likely are not motivated nor encouraged to learn.
On a positive note, there have been no issues associated with poor behavior at the Captain G. Harold Hunt School. There have been no reported incidents of suspension in the last year. The preschoolers have been keeping busy with their schoolwork, enthusiastically expanding as learners. Whether it’s learning the letters in their names or learning to count, the Hunt School strives to produce excellent students.
The Captain G. Harold Hunt School is a school with a positive mentality, despite the fact that it is impacted negatively by poverty. Pre-kindergarten is a time where learning is essential, as students absorb a plethora of knowledge. That being said, the Hunt School is a significant stepping stone in the path of the students of Central Falls.
AdamSokolowski
The Ella Risk School is an elementary school without a 5th grade class located in the Central falls school district. In the last year the school has reached 15 out of 18 targets set by No Child Left Behind standards, and is under the category “Warning” for the school’s performance under NCLB. Two of the targets not met where under the proficiency in reading and math with students with disabilities. Which is a minor 4% higher in this school than the state wide average of 15%. Like most of the schools located in the central falls district poverty rates of children have a very large negative affect on the overall quality of education the students will receive compared to state averages and more affluent counties. This becomes very apparent when observing special student conditions such as eligibility for subsidized lunch, bilingual education services as well as the proficiency in math scores by grade level.
In the community description that was written by the students who were working on the central falls district it was made clear that the district is much worse off economically. Families below the federal poverty threshold in Central Falls is 41.5%, while in Rhode Island the percentage is only 18.4%. This is a shocking statistic that almost half of the families living in the district are below the poverty line and this poverty transfers to the students living in these households. According to the Infoworks site on Ella Risk Elementary 86% of the students at this school are eligible for subsidized lunch compared to 47% statewide average a staggeringly significant percent that will ultimately affect the schools that these students attend.
Cantal falls is an urban area with a higher percent of minorities than suburban environments with a predominantly white population and has more students who are speakers of a different language other than English. Of those students surveyed by the 2013-2014 Surveyworks Student Survey 57.7% identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino compared to the 23.4% state average. The community description of central falls that was written previously shows similar percents of ethnic groups living in central falls as the percents of ethnic students that attend Ella Risk. This correlates to the amount of students in the school who receive ESL/Bilingual Education Services to teach those students the English language and would affect the classroom environments to focus more on those students due to the language barrier. 20% of students in this school receive bilingual education services as opposed to the state average of 6%.
All of these factors contribute to a poorer performance by students attending this school than students who attend other schools in the state in both math and reading levels. The Infoworks site on this school shows that third graders are already not as proficient as other students in math and reading with 34% proficient in math and 56% proficient in reading compared to the state average of 56% proficient in math and 69% proficient in reading. This gap becomes even larger as students enter 4th grade with 45% of students in this school proficient in math and 49% in reading compared to the state with 63% of 4th graders proficient in math and 70% proficient in reading.
These are the general statistics of students in the Ella Risk School in Central Falls. These statistics are also factors that help to understand why the central falls district poverty rates of children have a very large negative affect on the overall quality of education the students will receive. Conditions such as eligibility for subsidized lunch, bilingual education services as well as the proficiency in math scores by grade level are all factors that support the image of the School as a school within an Urban Environment.
There is only one high school for South Kingstown, RI. South Kingstown High School is located on 215 Columbia Street in Wakefield RI. The school consists of 1073 students and 118 teachers. Students goto school Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 7:30 am to 2:02 pm. They currently have 92 classroom teachers and 5 school councilors. The departments of applied learning, fine arts, english, guidance, health and PE, library, literacy, math, music, science, social studies, special education, and world language are offered at the high school. This is a wide range of departments might show that the school is well funded which is a large advantage to it's students. There are numerous clubs offered at the high school such as art club, drama club, book groups, math team, and photography club. They have a total of 33 clubs offered, showing that the school is well involved in their students extracurricular activities and they reach out to many different interests that the students could have. In addition to clubs there are many sport teams available. Some sports offered are football, cross country, soccer, field hockey, tennis, volleyball, basketball, and swimming. In total the school offers 19 sports that students can play. It would appear that the school is well funded with all of the departments, clubs, and sports offered to students.
Statistics
Out of the 1073 students, 86% are White, 3% are Native American, 4% are Multiracial, 4% are Hispanic, 2% are Asian, and 2% are African American. The majority clearly consisting of white students. The attendance rate for South Kingstown High School is 94% while the overall Rhode Island High School attendance rate is 92%. An average of 11% of students at South Kingstown High School receive special education services while 15% of students state wide receive the services. Currently 17% of students are eligible for a subsidized lunch and 11% of students are recipients of special education services. Last year, South Kingstown high school had 431 incidents of suspicion. The percent of students who graduate in four years is 89.7% while the Rhode Island high school average is 79.7%. South Kingstown is above the overall Rhode Island high school averages in all the categories listed.
Environment and Geography
South Kingstown is the largest town in Washington County with a population of 30,639. The South Kingstown area includes the villages of Kingston, West Kingston, Wakefield, Peace Dale, Snug Harbor, Tuckertown, East Matunuk, Matunuk, Green Hill, and Perryville. South Kingstown has over 10 miles of beaches in addition to these villages.
Income, Poverty, Health, and Safety
South Kingstown has 7.3% of the population below the poverty level. This is less that the Rhode Island state average of 15.2%. In addition to this, 4.8% of children fall below the poverty level. In South Kingstown high school 17% of students are able to receive subsidized lunch, meaning they fall below the poverty level and qualify to receive free lunch. This percentage seems high considering all the activities and programs offered through the school. With what appears as good funding, it would be expected that the surrounding area would not typically fall under the poverty level. South Kingstown high school had 431 incidents of suspicion last year. State wide there were 17,944 incidents of suspicion. This rate is very low compared to the state wide incidents. One can infer that South Kingstown high school is a safe place to be from this low rate.
Conclusion
In conclusion, South Kingstown high school offers many programs and clubs to its students. There is not much diversity amongst the students, the majority being white. This could cause some issues for the students of minority such as being inferior because they are only 14% of the population all together. The attendance rate and rate of students who graduate in four years are both relatively high showing the success of the high school and drive the students have. A somewhat surprising amount of students receive subsidized lunch and are under the poverty level. This is surprising because with all the clubs and sports offered one would assume that the school receives a lot of funding from outside sources and typically if a school gets a lot of funding the community tends to be well off. The overall safety of South Kingstown high school is good and there is a low level of incidents of suspicion.
Citations South Kingstown High School Home Page." South Kingstown High School Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. http://hs.skschools.net/ South Kingstown High School - School and District Data - RIDE InfoWorks." South Kingstown High School - School and District Data - RIDE InfoWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/south-kingstown-high-school "South Kingstown, Rhode Island." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Nov. 2014. Web. 16 Nov. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Kingstown,_Rhode_Island South Kingstown, Rhode Island (RI) Poverty Rate Data - Information about Poor and Low Income Residents." South Kingstown, Rhode Island (RI) Poverty Rate Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
Introduction This town is a small town with one Middle school for the entire town. Barrington Middle School is grades 6th through 8th. Majority of these students appear to come from similar backgrounds; most students are white, and middle or upper class. I plan to analyze the academic performance, school safety, demographics, facilities, special programs and extracurriculars in relation to Barrington Middle School. This report is intended to inform other educators the differences in school systems and why Barrington Middle School reaches such success compared to other schools in the state of Rhode Island.
Academic Performance Barrington Middle School is full of students who held to a level of expectation higher than other students throughout Rhode Island. As shown by infoworks.ride.ri.gov Barrington Middle School are above the average when in comes to statewide testing such as the NECAPs proficiency levels in math and reading ranging from grades 6th to 8th range from 95% to 82% while statewide scores range from 69% to 57%(Rhode Island..). Barrington Middle School's education is above the states average, this shows us that these students are held to higher level than students through out the state of Rhode Island. These statistics are found from high stakes testing taken by Barrington Middle School school students and shows these students preforming higher than other schools in the state. This made me curious to whether these students aren't necessarily smarter than other students but rather are prepared for these types of tests more so than other schools.
School Safety The students who attend Barrington Middle School do not have to worry or be concerned about their day to day safety; there are many explanations to why this is so. These students are less financially needy, only 6% receive subsidized lunch while the statewide average is 47%. This shows that a much lower margin of students are in need of financial support when it comes to food. This speaks to the income of these students parents and their backgrounds. There is also a low level of absenteeism in the students of Barrington Middle School, only 6% while in all of Rhode Island the average is 15%. From my prior knowledge I am aware that students often miss school due to drugs, or work; this is not an issue for these students because they generally come from a stable background. Thankfully, the school is not forced to suspend many students either only a total of 32 students were suspended in the 2012-2013 school year. I conclude that this is because these students are brought up with relationships that are full of respect, and therefore live lives that are held to a higher standard. I argue that due to low levels of poverty and absenteeism this is a safe school, mainly because this is a safe community(Rhode Island Kids...).
Demographics Barrington Middle School is not particularly diverse and the majority of these students come from similar backgrounds. The Middle School is 90% White students, 6% Asian students, 1% African American, and 1% Hispanic, the final 2% is multiracial; these statistics are right in line with the towns statistics, 89% White students, 5% Asian, 2% Hispanic, 1% African American, and the final 2% is multiracial. Having students who have similar backgrounds makes it much simpler for teachers to educate these students verses teaching students from different backgrounds in schools that are in an urban cities; this provides an advantage to Barrington Middle School teachers(Rhode Island Kids...). Facilities This is the only public middle school in Barrington, RI. This school is 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Being a small town there is no demand for more than one middle school. One may argue these facilities need updates, but this is not proven by any statistics shown related to their level of education.
Special programs Barrington Middle School was named 2014 National Blue Ribbon School. Barrington Middle School provides support services for those who are special education, in addition to counseling for students who need guidance for many different reasons including school, academic, social, and personal circumstances. Barrington Middle School has a lot to offer their students, I believe this is why their students must be so successful because they have a foundation in which they are able to flourish(Guidance...).
Extracurricular Programs Students who attend the middle school are lucky enough to have many options on what to do once classes are out of session. Barrington Middle School offers Fall, Winter, and Spring Interscholastic Sports for both boys and girls, these sports require try outs. Additionally they offer Intramural Sports in both the fall and the spring for both boys and girls without try outs. For those who are not the sport type they also have student organizations and clubs, some of these include; Eagle Gazette (School Newspaper), Recycling Club, Robotics, Art Club, Community Service Club, Student Council, Math Club, Yearbook Committee, Science Olympiad, and CHOICE. The Music department offers for students to be apart of the Marching Band (and they participate in the local Memorial Day Parade), the Jazz Band, Pops Band, Pops Choir, and A Capella Choir. Barrington Middle School offers much more than just education, they offer ways for their students to stretch their minds outside of the classroom. This is another reason to why their students are able to reach their full potential is because they have extracurriculars that allow them to express themselves in other ways than just their school work(Guidance...).
Conclusion In conclusion, this Barrington Middle School is a school where there is mostly white students where we have high expectations for our students. This is because these students do not have many challenges other than their school work. This is a legitimate conclusion that I can make from my data because the demographics state that there are 90% white students, with higher than average test score, and only 6% need lunch provided by the state. These students are coming from backgrounds that are strong and stable environments where these students are expected to strive.
Introduction
Veterans Memorial Elementary is a public school in Central Falls Rhode Island. It serves grades 1-4, with 532 students and 46 teachers. Ann Lynch is the principal, and Frances Gallo the Superintendent. The schools of the Central Falls district are historically low performing, and Veterans is no exception. The test scores are below average in every subject. Through the use of statistics and data, I hope to gain insight into the possible causes of Veterans Memorial Elementary's low achievement.
Demographics
The school is located in Central Falls Rhode Island, the smallest city in the state. It is densely populated, and predominantly Hispanic. In Veterans Memorial specifically, 76% of students are Hispanic, 10% are African American, 8% White, 5% Multiracial, and 1% Native American. This is likely a reason for 30% of Students Receiving ESL/Bilingual Education Services, as opposed to 6% statewide. An example of the high rate of bilingualism is their school website being written in both English and Spanish. The 2012 Census shows that the median family income in Central Falls is $35,22; whereas statewide it is $72,872. This $40,000 difference is more than likely to have an effect on the quality of a child’s life, which could manifest in lack of school importance. As a result of the low family income, the percent of Student Eligibility for Subsidized Lunch is 88%, almost double that of the statewide 47%. Nutrition is extremely important in terms of student learning; if you do not know when your next meal is coming, then school is less meaningful.
Academic Achievement
As before stated, schools in Central Falls do not do well on state tests. The following statistics from InfoWorks! Accountability Summary and Classification show just how badly. In Reading and Math evaluations, the only student group that achieved proficiency were White students; African-American students made sufficient progress. Out of 18 proficiency targets assessed, 4 were met. The NECAP Assessments also show significantly lower proficiency than that of the state in both Reading and Math for 3rd and 4th graders. 3Rd graders at VME were below 30% proficient in both Reading and Math, a dismal statistic, and 4th graders were just around 40% proficient, when the state is at 63% in math, and 70% in reading. In 2013, VME was qualified as a “Focus” school by the Rhode Island Department of Education, and was made to create and implement a school-reform plan. This plan was recently implemented, and therefore data indicating the effectiveness is yet to be determined.
Teaching
Both the data from InfoWorks! And the SurveyWorks survey seem relatively promising in terms of teaching. The Teacher-Student ratio in the classroom is 1:13, just below the 1:14 statewide. The data from the survey regarding Teacher-Student relationships shows that 98.9% of students believe their teachers care about them, which is higher than 94.7% statewide; a positive difference. Also higher than the statewide 94.4%, 96.8% of students say their teachers are nice to them. Although the data report positive relationships among students and teachers, the academic achievements are still low, perhaps indicating that there is more to teaching than friendship.
Safety/ School Climate
Veterans Memorial Elementary appears to be a safe and presentable environment, comparatively speaking. The SurveyWorks data shows that 86.3% of students feel safe in their school, very close to the 88.5% statewide. However the percent of students who feel safe outside of school is 64.5%, as opposed to 80.0% statewide. The attendance rate is 1% below the state at 94%. The data on bullying is very similar in this school as it is in the state; with 75.9% saying the bullying they experienced stopped after they told an adult, which is considerably higher than the state's 59.4%. The student violence rates are lower than the state, with 8.2% reporting having participated in/witnessed a fight, and 12.7% in the state; another positive difference. The statistics on Alcohol, Smoking, and Drug Use are nearly exactly on point with the state; a difference worth mentioning is the 3.1% saying they have taken an illegal drug whereas it is 1% statewide. These are elementary students, and this statistic could become increasingly important as students enter higher grade levels and drugs become more accessible. If they are being exposed to or are taking drugs at this young age, then the probability that they will abuse drugs as they grow up increases, which could in turn affect motivation and graduation rates.
Conclusion
In summary, the data about Veterans Memorial Elementary school showed that 76% of students are Hispanic, 88% of students qualify for Subsidized Lunch, the median family income in Central Falls is approximately $40,000 less than that of the state, 3rd and 4th graders were significantly less proficient than the state average on the NECAP exam, the students like their teachers, and feel safe in school. The most probable cause of VME's low test scores are economic and racial factors. Most high performing public schools in the state have large white populations, whereas VME is primarily Hispanics. Also, these families are earning far less money than is common statewide, which means they cannot provide the same home life and opportunities as that of a financially stable family. These are possible causes of this school's low achievement and subsequent "Focus" classification.
Sources
16th, A., & 2012. (n.d.). Thanks, Veterans Memorial Elementary School! Retrieved October 28, 2014, from http://www.sarahalbeebooks.com/2012/04/thanks-veterans-memorial-elementary-school/
Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE). (2013). RIDE Releases 2013 School Classifications. Retrieved from http://www.ride.ri.gov/InsideRIDE/AdditionalInformation/News/ViewArticle/tabid/408/ArticleId/74/RIDE-Releases-2013-School-Classifications.aspx
Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE). (2014). School Information: Veterans Memorial Elementary. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/veterans-memorial-elementary
United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS. Retrieved from http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk
Intro
East Greenwich High School is one of the most well renowned public schools in Rhode Island. It ranks on the top 1,000 high schools in all of America and is the only public school in Rhode Island to make the ranking. There is not a great deal of diversity at EGHS, but the school is known for exceling in sports, academics, and overall safety. The students at EGHS known to thrive academically and are provided with an exceptional number of opportunities to succeed. This context report will continue to brag about East Greenwich High School's achievements, funding, demographics and student life to provide an understanding of what it takes to be one of Rhode Islands more "successful" institutes.
Performance
East Greenwich High School is said to be the highest performing high school in the state. At EGHS there is a high attendance rate of 96%, which is 4% above the states average. Their attendance is positively reflected by their standardized state testing scores. On their regions standardized test the NECAPs, East Greenwich High School Students doubled the state proficiency in math and overshot the state proficiency percentage in reading, writing, and science. The SAT and AP scores at EGHS are also greater than the state average by a significant amount. With their above standard test scores in mind, it is no surprise that the graduation rate of the students at this school is 92.6% and they only have a drop out rate of 1.1% (2). In regards to sports, East Greenwich is known well for having successful record in hockey, cross-country, and tennis. Their most recent state championship won was Girls Tennis in 2013. Overall, it is evident that the students at EGHS perform well in sports and academics (1).
Funding
The school is fortunate enough to have adequate resources for their students. They have a greater percentage of school supplies and technology to go around in comparison to the state, according to surveyworks. Surveyworks also reports that EGHS has enough space and cleanliness for student learning. In regards to funding, East Greenwich High School is better funded than other public high schools in the state because funding is based on taxes and East Greenwich is one of the wealthier areas in Rhode Island (3).
Demographics
There are about 730 students at EGHS and 77 teachers in 2014. Out of the 730 students, less than one percent are in a bilingual/ESL program, 15% of the student population is non-white, 10% receive special education services, and 6% are eligible for the subsidized lunching program. The teacher-student ratio in the classroom is 1 teacher to every 15 kids, which is consistent with other public high schools in the State of Rhode Island (2).
Student Life
East Greenwich is a wealthy town with the majority of the students at EGHS being well off as well. Outside of academics, East Greenwich High School is known for their involvement in athletics. Their uniform teams have won several state championships and recently their tennis team won states as well. Besides athletics, the students of East Greenwich High School put on a Cabaret show every year. At the show, the drama club performs a variety of Broadway hits for the school. It is safe to say that EGHS is invested in academics, athletics and the arts, creating high functioning, well-rounded students (1).
Conclusion
At East Greenwich High School you will find well-rounded students from affluent backgrounds. Racially and ethnically, EGHS is not very diverse, however at EGHS the students are provided with the necessary tools and space to learn successfully. It is possible that East Greenwich may be successful because they are fortunate enough to have more funding than other schools in RI that are not as wealthy. Funding provides opportunities for extracurriculars, more student attention, and other factors that are benificial for learning. However funding is not the only factor of East Greenwich High School's success. Funding, as well as their academic, athletic, and student performcance, EGHS is a highly regarded public school in the state of Rhode Island.
Works Cited
1. East Greenwich High School. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Greenwich_High_School#Sports
2. Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2014). Rhode Island Education Data Reporting. InfoWorks! Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/east-greenwich-high-school
3. Rhode Island Education Survey Suite. (2014). East Greenwich High School Survey Works (p. 65). Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/files/surveyworks/2013-2014/combined/surveyworks-2013-2014-east-greenwich-high-school-student-parent-teacher-hs.pdf
Claiborne Pell Elementary School
Introduction:As a future elementary school teacher, I found Claiborne Pell Elementary School in Newport, Rhode Island to be quite interesting. It is brand new and was opened in 2013. They recently shut down all four other aging elementary schools in Newport in order to save money, so they now created the Claiborne Pell Elementary School which all elementary students in Newport attend. It has 854 students which is very large for an elementary school. (Pell Elementary School) I will discuss the research I found on the school's safety, its demographics, their academic achievement, and teaching.
School Safety:
The Claiborne Pell Elementary School is beautifully built and also very new. Overall, 91.6% of students feel safe roaming the hallways of this school and 82.8% feel safe walking outside of the building. 82.9% claim that nothing has ever been stolen from them at school. (Survey Works! 2013-2014 School Level Report) These are high percentages for a school in a city. It is a good sign that so many students think positively toward the school's safety, especially for a school with such young children. Safety is the most imperative quality a school can obtain.
Demographics:
Newport is a little more diverse than other parts of Rhode Island, but still proves to be mostly white. The school's demographics are 70.2% white, 28.9 black or African American, 2.6 Asian, 6.1 American Indian or Alaskan Native, and 3.5 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. 33.2% identify as hispanic or latino. 64% of students are eligible for subsidized lunch, in comparison to 47% statewide. 5% of students are receiving bilingual education services, similarly to 6% statewide. 20% of students are receiving special education services, in comparison to 15% statewide. (Profile of Newport, Rhode Island) Although Newport is well known for its mansions, yachts, and expensive shopping, it is clear that it is not the most fortunate of areas. However, Claiborne Pell makes a lot of effort to make its students comfortable and given proper guidance.
Academic Achievement:
Academic achievement can be challenging to measure, but the state of Rhode Island uses test scores to do this. According to the NECAP scores, 3rd grade students are 48% and 57% proficient in math and reading. Overall, 3rd graders proficiency average is 56% in math and 69% in reading. The 4rd grade students at Claiborne Pell proficiency scored 51% in math and 62% in reading. In comparison to statewide which is 63% and 70% proficient. (Newport District) Their test scores show not to be the strongest and seem to be lagging about ten percent behind the overall state of Rhode Island. However, high stake test taking is controversial method of proving students' intelligence.
Teaching:
Overall, the teachers at Claiborne Pell Elementary School seem very helpful and kind through my research. 93.8% of students believe that their teachers genuinely care for them and 98.5% believe that their teachers enjoy teaching. 94.6% of the students claim that they can talk to a faculty member if they are having problems with other students or bullying. (Survey Works! 2013-2014 School Level Report) From what it seems, the faculty and staff are very kind to the students at this elementary school. This is essential, especially when working with very young children.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, I believe that the combining of all four elementary schools and making Claiborne Pell Elementary School was a smart financial decision, but I'm not sure if it was in the best interest of their students. The new location and facilities are quite nice, but elementary students require a lot of time and attention which can be challenging with a school of over 800 students. However, the teaching staff at this school seems to be very good and make the students feel cared for. Also, the school makes its students feel safe which is the most important quality when looking for a school. Overall, the school is making efforts to better the education and lives of its students.
Sources:
“Newport District.” Info Works!, n.d. www.infoworks.ride.ri.gov.
“Profile of Newport, Rhode Island.” Rhode Island Kids Count, n.d. www.rikidscount.org.
“Pell Elementary School.” Newport Public Schools, n.d. http://www.npsri.net/pell.
“Survey Works! 2013-2014 School Level Report.” Info Works!, n.d. http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/files/surveyworks/2013-2014/combined/surveyworks-2013-2014-claiborne-pell-elementary-school-student-parent-teacher-es.pdf.
A Context Report By Julia Cohen
Frank E. Thompson Middle School is a public school that is located in Newport, Rhode Island. This middle school is under the advisement of Superintendent Colleen Jermain and Principal Jamie Crowley. This school has always been for grades 6, 7, and 8, but in 2009 grade 5 was also added into the system. There are currently 564 students that attend this school and 63 teachers that work here. This middle school is located in what is arguably the biggest tourist attraction in the state of Rhode Island, and therefore has a higher price of living, so many of the students that attend this school live in poverty. In this report we will be discussing the diversity in Newport, opportunities that the school offers, and the academic profile of the school.
This school is lacking in diversity and although it may be better off than other schools surrounding it, they still are low on the economic scale. Almost 70 % of the population of this school is white children, while a lower percentage is African American, Hispanic and other races. According to InfoWorks, 69.5% of students are White, 37.7% are African American, 4.6% is Asian, 12.7% are American Indian or Alaskan Native and 12% are also “other”. 13.7% of people in Newport live in poverty, even though the average income is $58,180, which is much higher than the average income in Rhode Island. . Although the average income for Newport families is higher than other towns in Rhode Island, it is also important to remember that since these people live in a city which has a high number of tourists, the price of living is also high around these parts.
The school itself is doing well, however the grades of the students do not move far from the average student their age in Rhode Island. There is a fantastic student- teacher ratio at this school of 9: 1 for all teachers and 13: 1 for classroom teachers. There are currently no teachers with emergency certification here and there are no classes taught by unqualified teachers. There have been only 82 suspensions in the 2012-2013 school year and an extremely low absentee rate. Many of the students, over 50 %, according to a survey on InfoWorks, plan to attend a four year college. In most of the questions on these surveys, students say that they are very engaged in their learning and enjoy learning what the teachers are teaching. Students according to test scores, are succeeding largely in the writing and reading areas as well and their scores just keep improving!
This school offers many opportunities for its students to succeed. With 8 sports, 5 clubs and 2 world languages offered, the learning and experience never ends! Girls are offered basketball, softball and soccer, while boys are offered baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer and squash. Both genders are offered the opportunity of joining clubs such as Gardening, National Honors Society, Student Council, Yearbook, and Marching Band. They have a high level of parent involvement, fundraising events, and even school field trips!
As you can see from this report, Newport’s middle school is a school that keeps on improving. Although they struggle with poverty and the high price of living, the school manages to not only succeed, but to thrive. Test scores are above average and there are barely any students with subsidized lunches. Since Newport is full of mansions and some rich folk, the school is somewhat plentiful in tax money and can therefore provide more for the students, including a great staff of qualified teachers even though many of the students here live in poverty! Overall, Frank E. Thompson Middle School is an amazing school that continues to get better with age!
Sources:
"Frank E. Thompson Middle School." - Newport, Rhode Island. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.
"Frank E. Thompson Middle School - School and District Data - RIDE InfoWorks." Frank E. Thompson Middle School - School and District Data - RIDE InfoWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.
School, Frank E. Thompson Middle. "Surveyworks Frank E. Thompson Middle School." SurveyWorks! 2013-2014 School Level Report (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
Scott, George A. "Teacher Quality: Approaches, Implementation, and Evaluation of Key Federal Efforts." N.p., 17 May 2007. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
"United States Census Bureau." Newport (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.
Newport Rhode Island is a relatively small city with a small school district. Newport's school district downsized recently, all of the elementary schools were closed and combined into one large school. The Dr. M. H. Sullivan Elementary school was one of the schools that was closed. They were closed to try and save money and improve the education of students. This information explains the aspects of the elementary school before it was closed.
Academic Performance
The Dr. M. H. Sullivan School held students kindergarten through 4th grade and was closed at the end of the 2013 school year. The school had a student body of 234 students and a student teacher ratio of about 11:1. Infoworks did not have a large amount of information on this school because of the recent closing.The 2008 Info-works said the school met all 11 of its target and the school was said to have adequate performance The school's performance greatly improved from the 2006/2007 to 2008/2009 school years in math but they decreased in reading. In 06/07 70% of 5th graders were below proficient in math compared to 08/09 only 23% of 5th graders were below proficient. This is a very extreme improvement. In 06/07 16% of 3rd graders were below proficient in reading and in 08/09 31% were below proficient. The reading scores only improved for 5th graders at about 18%. These statistics are not nearly as extreme as the scores for math (Info-works, 2009). The NECAP scores for students in the 4th grade from the 2013-14 year were recorded as 63% proficient in Math, 70% proficient in reading and 41% proficient in science (“Info Works- 2013").
Demographics
Dr. M. H. Sullivan school has very interesting demographics. It was located in the north end of Newport and included 5 public housing projects within this small area(SALT, 2001). The student population was about 55% male and 45% female. The enrolled student population was very diverse, where many students came from various backgrounds and cultures. Ethnically, the largest percentage of race was Hispanic, accounting for about 29% of the students. After Hispanic, the second largest percentage was African American, about 27% of the students. Caucasians made up about 25% percent of the student body, which is the third largest percentage. The other 19% of the students that attended this school were Indian, Asian or other mixed ethnicities. These percentages support the fact that Newport is a city because there tends to be larger amount of diversity in cities .(USASchoolInfo.com, n.d.)
Special Programs/ Extracurricular
Dr. M. H. Sullivan School had many positive and negative aspects before it was closed in 2013. A positive aspect of the school was that it had a full day and half-day kindergarten with many programs for students. It had supportive reading and mathematics programs for grades 3-5. Not only that they also implemented the Child Opportunity Zone program to support families and children in the area. The school had a special education pre-kindergarten program included Head Start which was very helpful. Observers of Dr. M. H. Elementary said the staff and faculty were very student oriented and caring. In spite of the caring staff and specialized programs, many students were writing and reading below grade level. Even though it was a community-based school, it was not meeting the needs of all of the students attending. Though the teachers were caring and supportive of the different backgrounds of students they needed to instill a motivation for learning (SALT, 2001). It would be interesting to see if improvements were made by combining to a larger elementary school instead of keeping the divided smaller schools.
School Climate/ Safety
According to the students of Dr. M. H. Sullivan elementary school the school system appears to be a fairly safe environment some of the statistics were worrisome though. Students in the 4th grade and above were surveyed. Their results showed that many did live in troubled situations.The amount of 4th and 5th graders surveyed that said they smoke and drank alcohol was surprising. The numbers were less than 5% of students but no students at ages 9-11 should be exposed to alcohol or tobacco. About 20% of the students surveyed said they had not eaten fruits or vegetables in the past day and about 10-15% had only eaten breakfast two times or less that week. Over a quarter of the students said they get less than 7 hours of sleep a night. The teacher and principle attitudes were a little different than the students. The Dr. M.H. Sullivan school teachers surveyed below the state average for providing access to students and parents for health and social services. They also surveyed below for providing a health promoting environment and wellness programs. Even though they ranked below in both of these sections it was only by a very small percentage compared to the rest of the state. In the section that says Dr. M. H. Sullivan school has policies that support positive health practices etc. teachers surveyed said 100%, which is strange compared to principles surveyed who ranked that category less than the state average at about 90%. Both teachers and principles at Dr. M. H. Sullivan ranked it above the state average for providing health care and social services on site. The teacher surveys also claim that teachers were very involved and caring about their students and curriculum. Student surveys also support that the teachers are very involved. (Info-Works, 2009).
Facilities
Info-works surveyed students asking them a few questions about their school facility. In the Dr. M. H. Sullivan Elementary school students were asked if the school building classrooms were the right temperature. The majority of students who answered said sometimes (about 55.6%) comparatively about 11.1% said mostly 27.8% said never and only 5.6% said it was always the right temperature. When they were asked if there was always soap in the bathroom no one answered never. The majority, 62.5% said mostly. Comparing this to the statewide survey about 45% of students also said sometimes for the school temperature and about 50.3 said there was always soap in the bathrooms. When the students were surveyed about school resources about 94.4% said there was always enough books for every student. This is almost dead on the statewide surgery result. About 63.5% said the desks were the right size, compared to the statewide result of 69.6%. In the other two aspects of the school facility survey Dr. M. H. Sullivan school was ranked very low. 27.8% of students said their school looked nice on the inside and 36.8% said it looked nice on the outside. The statewide survey for both of hose categories rank somewhere in the 80% range. This shows the school was in need of some renovations (Info-works, 2012).
Conclusion
Overall the M.H. Sullivan Elementary school was a fairly good elementary school. Before it closed the school supported and provided for many students and teachers in the area. There were many things that needed improvement and possible school renovations. At the same time the math and reading scores were starting to improve so education was heading in the right direction. It would be interesting to see where Dr. M. H. Sullivan would be today if it had not been closed.
Bibliography
Info Works- Rhode Island Education Data Recording. (2013, 2014). Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/dr-m-h-sullivan-school
Info Works - Rhode Island Education Data recording. (2011, 2012)
http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/files/surveyworks/2010-2011/combined/surveyworks-2010-2011-dr-m-h-sullivan-school-student-parent-teacher-es.pdf
Info Works- Rhode Island Education Data Recording. (2008, 2009) Retrieved from
http://infoworks.ride.uri.edu/2009/queries/FindSch.asp
SALT. (2001). Newport Public Schools. Rhode Island department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Retrieved from https://www.eride.ri.gov/salt/default.asp
USASchoolInfo.com. (n.d.). Dr. M. H. Sullivan School Newport, RI Enrollment & Demographics. Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://www.usaschoolinfo.com/school/dr-m-h-sullivan-school-newport-rhode-island.79375/enrollment
Rogers High School
Intro-
For this project, I deepened my understanding of American public schools by analyzing and researching a school. The goal of this project was to relate it to potential reform approaches for education as a whole. The research of this high school may be relevant for people trying to learn about the area of Newport in regards to education. Also it may be interesting to those who want to improve this school system to see where they have low percentages or to see where they have high percentages.
Rogers High School is located on 15 Wickham Road in Newport, Rhode Island. Rogers High School has the mission of providing a challenging and appropriate education in a safe environment. Their goal for the students after four years of learning is that they will become successful, functioning citizens in society similarly to any other high school. In the early 1800s, Rogers was a private school for males only not until 1873 where it then became public and allowed education for both sexes. In 1957 it opened its current location on Wickham Road. (Rogers High School)
Demographics-
It is always imperative to look at a school’s demographics to completely understand it in order to analyze the education of the students. Rogers has 583 students taught by 60 teachers (Rhode Island Department of Education). There is a majority of females at this school at 51% (Rhode Island Department of Education). This high school is public in the Newport School District. The superintendent is Colleen Jermain and the school’s principal is James Nelson (Rhode Island Department of Education). In Newport in general it is important to note that the median family income in 2012 is $53,921 in comparison to Rhode Islands, which is $68,326 (Kids Count). This shows that families in Newport don't make as much money as other families in the rest of Rhode Island. Students that go to Rogers High School live in families that aren’t very well off but are in families that are close to the poverty line.
Student Achievement-
Rogers High School is average and even a little below average in comparison to the rest of Rhode Island when looking at assessment scores and student achievement. For example, in the NECAP exams Rogers students scored below average in their 11th grade Math Scores where 25% of students scored Proficient while in comparison to the state, 35% of students as a whole scored Proficient in 11th grade Math (Rhode Island Department of Education). In their SAT scores in Reading, Rogers students are again average with getting a score of 478 (out of 800) which is the exact same score the state got on average (Rhode Island Department of Education). Finally, their AP scores were low at Rogers 32% of students scored at college level mastery while 55% of students in the state as a whole scored at that same college level (Rhode Island Department of Education). Newport as a whole has a graduation rate of 67% in 2013 while the state’s is 80% (Kids Count). Unfortunately, in the area of graduation rates Rogers High School is below average. This does make sense though because students are living in some level of poverty. By living in poverty, it shows that students will have a lower graduation rate than those who aren’t living in poverty. This proves that the majority of the state is not living in poverty and therefore has a pretty high graduation rate at 80%. Overall though, all of this information and statistics show that Rogers High School is a very average school. In some instances and in some assessments Rogers is even below the average of the rest of Rhode Island. Although the Newport School District wants their students to become successful citizens in our society there are lagging on their excellence (Rogers High School). These students are not failing or excelling, they are simply mediocre being below the average.
Teaching-
Although Rogers has many students at 538, they also have a lot of faculty as well to give students the best education possible (Rhode Island Department of Education). The student to teacher ratio is 1:10 at Rogers in comparison to the state student to teacher ratio at 1:11 (Rhode Island Department of Education). Again, this aspect of Rogers makes it very average when you look at Rhode Island’s state numbers. There are 0% of teachers with Emergency Certification at Rogers, which is less than the average across the state at 1% of teachers (Rhode Island Department of Education). When students took the SurveryWorks, they ranked their teaches are sometimes challenging them and usually giving clear instructions and lesson plans. The other high schools in the state had similar responses. The teachers should always be doing these sorts of things in order to give the students the best education possible. This is another aspect of Rogers High School that makes it average amongst other high schools in Rhode Island.
Families & Communities
Rogers is fairly diverse. Due to racial/ethnic backgrounds, 46% of students are white, 25% are African American, 21% are Hispanic, 4% are multiracial, 2% are Native American, and 1% are Asian. 61% of students at Rogers are eligible for subsidized lunch, which is pretty high in relation to statewide eligibility for lunch at 47% (Rhode Island Department of Education). Again, this is showing how diverse Rogers student population really is, the majority of students are eligible for subsidized lunch. Also, 12% of students receive special education services again showing how diverse the students at Rogers are (Rhode Island Department of Education). For students who do not speak English and have come from various ethnic backgrounds, 5% of students use the bilingual education services that they have at Rogers (Rhode Island Department of Education). In relation to that state of Rhode Island, again Rogers is average in their families and communities.
Safety and Support-
Rogers High School is a safe and somewhat supportive school for their students, which is the goal of their mission statement (Rogers High School). They have an 88% attendance rate throughout the year which is a little below average of the state’s rate at 92% (Rhode Island Department of Education). They only had 133 suspensions in 2012-2013 showing that the school is safe (Rhode Island Department of Education). But, some aspects of the school are not as supportive as a high school should be. For example, 21.8% of students dropped out in the year of 2012-2013, which is fairly high in comparison to the states drop out rate at 9.1% (Rhode Island Department of Education). Their graduation rate is lower than the states average as well at 68.2% while the states is at 79.7% (Rhode Island Department of Education). Rogers needs to step up its game in order to support its students better so that they can have a higher graduation rate and a lower drop out rate.
Conclusion-
When looking at a school in Newport, one would expect it to be exceptional due to the fact that many rich vacation here. But that is simply not the case. Newport is average when compared to the rest of the state. In some aspects Newport is even below average, mediocre. Rogers again is an ordinary high school in Rhode Island. Students are somewhat successful but some measures need to be taken in order for the high school to be better than average allowing their students to excel. Rogers is a relatively small high school with students living in poverty. The majority of Rogers test scores are about average in comparison to the state but more than half, (60%) of students receive free lunch. This essentially means that those students living in poverty are also excelling. This is definitely an exceptional aspect of this school. Students struggling in their home lives are doing well on their standardized tests. Although they are doing well in comparison to others that are in poverty, Rogers is still an average high school. All of my research of Rogers High School is important to the reader because they can learn which part of the high school that needs improvement as oppose to which parts are successful. It could help parents decide if they want their children to go to this school or not. Also reformers could look at this report and analyze it further seeing how they can improve this school as well as other public high schools in Rhode Island.
Work Cited-
Kids Count. (n.d.). Profile of Newport, Rhode Island. Retrieved from http://www.rikidscount.org/matriarch/documents/Newport2014.pdf
Rogers High School. (n.d.). Schoolwires, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.npsri.net/Domain/8
Rhode Island Department of Education. (n.d.). Infoworks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/rogers-high-school
Introduction
Barrington High School (BHS) is located at 220 Lincoln Avenue, Barrington, Rhode Island. According to the US News Education Report, Barrington High School is ranked #1 in the state of Rhode Island, and #440 nationally. Barrington High School is the only public high school in Barrington, Rhode Island. It holds grades 9-12. In this report, demographics, academic performance, school climate and safety, and extracurricular and special programs will be discussed.
DemographicsBarrington High School is not very culturally diverse as 90% of its students are White. This compares closely to the Barrington community, which has a 89% White population (InfoWorks). The remainder of the high school population is made up of 6% Asian, 1% African American, 1% Hispanic, 1% Native American, and 1% Multicultural. 51% of students are male and 49% female. The economic well-being of the students at Barrington High School is accurately represented by the Barrington community data.
Academic PerformanceBarrington High School greatly exceeds state and national averages on common standardized testing. On the 11th grade NECAP Assessments in the 2013-2014 year, 98% of BHS students were proficient in Reading, compared to 81% in the state. 82% were proficient in writing compared to 66% of the state. 79% were proficient in math compared to 35% statewide. 58% of students in Barrington were proficient in science as opposed to only 30% in the state of Rhode Island. Also in the 2013-2014 year, 92% of BHS students took the SAT Exams and scores surpassed statewide and nationwide averages. Lastly, nearly quarter of students took AP exams, 88% of which scored at college-level mastery. In the state, 55% of the exams taken were scored at college-level mastery.
School Climate and Safety Barrington High School had a 95.6% graduation rate, as opposed to a 79.7% statewide in the 2013-14 year.
Only 1.2% of students dropped out of Barrington High School, while 9.1% dropped out of other high schools in Rhode Island.
The usual attendance rate is 95%, again higher than the state percentage.
Extracurricular and Special Programs
Barrington High School offers many opportunities for extracurricular student involvement. They have one of the top athletic records in the state. They have 26 varsity sport teams claiming 10 division championships and 1 state championship in the 2013-2014 year. Of the 1027 students, 613 were involved in sports in this past year. Aside from sports, Barrington High School recognizes 37 other clubs and activities. Barrington is also well known for its impressive special education department, as 11% of students are receiving special education services. This is compared to the statewide percentage of 15% total.
ConclusionIn conclusion, Barrington High School is a high performing school. They pride themselves on high academic and athletic performance. Students thrive in this safe and supportive environment which they live and learn.
"Barrington High School." U.S.News & World Report- Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
"Barrington High School - School and District Data - RIDE InfoWorks." InfoWorks! N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
Finn, George. "Athletics and Student Activities." Barrington High School. N.p., 11 Sept. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
"Students from Various Racial/Ethnic Backgrounds." InfoWorks! N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
Claiborne Pell Elementary School
According to the Claiborne Pell Elementary School website, "The mission of Pell Elementary School in partnership with students, parents, staff and community is to promote a positive and safe environment, where students want to be and a school where parents want to send their children. This partnership ensures equity, personalization, communication, visibility and academic rigor that produces responsible, respectful, lifelong learners and citizens."
Introduction:
Claiborne Pell Elementary school is located at 35 Dexter Street, Newport, Rhode Island. This school is fairly new, as it opened in the 2013-2014 school year. This public school is in the Newport school district, ran by superintendent Colleen Jermain and principals Kimberly Behan Ed. D. and Jane Perkins. The school educates 854 students from grades PK-4.
Demographics:
This school is somewhat culturally diverse. It is 80% white and 29% african american. Only 33% are latino or hispanic, compared to the state which is 23% latino or hispanic. State wide 80% of residents are white and 13% are african american. 2.6% of the school is made up of asians and 6% is american indian. The school is made up of 48.5% boys and 49.2% girls.
Academic Performance:
The student achievement in this school is average. However, for the most part, proficiency on the school exams were lower than the proficiency for the state itself. It shows that teachers interact well with students. A large amount of students are determined to finish high school.
Safety and Climate:
The school has a very high attendance rate at 95% which is exactly equal to that of the state wide. More students feel safer walking in the halls of their school rather than walking outside of their school. 82.8% of students feel safe walking outside of their school. There is a 17% of students being robbed at this school which is more than the percentage statewide. The bullying rate at this school is also rather high, at around a little over 40%. Also, more than the statewide. 12.3% of students have been involved in a fight and 10.5% have seen another student with a weapon at school.
School resources:
The school resources percentages are very high. There is almost 100% of books available for every student in the school and the same percentage for the appearance of the school inside. However, only 75% for having enough computers for students to use.
Claiborne Pell Elementary is a developing school and hopes to continue sending their students off to do great things in higher levels of education. It is a Green Ribbon school, and has pride in the many activities it provides.
Resources:
About Claiborne Pell / About Claiborne Pell Home. (n.d.). From http://www.npsri.net/domain/577
Claiborne Pell Elementary School - School and District data - RIDE InfoWorks. (n.d.). From http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/claiborne-pell-elementary-school
Cole Middle School
Cole Middle School is located in East Greenwich, Rhode Island at 100 Cedar Avenue (2). This is a Public School under Superintendent Victor Mercurio and Principal Alexis Meyer (2). Students in grades 6 through 8 attend Cole Middle School before continuing on to East Greenwich High School or a private school of the student's desire. Grade 6 was recently added to the school in the 2011-2012 school year. There are a total of 590 students and 55 teachers. The majority of the students who attend Cole Middle School live in the town of East Greenwich. The school's population is about the same of the surrounding towns. The school offers standard opportunities and follows the Common Core Curriculum. The following is a report about the community that attends and is involved with Cole Middle School and the academic rigor and curriculum that is followed.
School Demographics and Geological Location
Cole Middle School located in the East Greenwich district has a total of 590 students, with about an even amount in each grade, 6 through 8. Out of the 590 students who attend, 51.5% are female and 44.1% are male. These are very comparable to the state's ratio of female to male. In addition, 86% of these students are white, 5% are Asian, 4% are Multiracial, 4% are Hispanic, and 1% are African American (3). This is about consistent with the percentages at East Greenwich High School and the surrounding elementary schools. In the town of East Greenwich, 94.7% are white and less than 5% of residents are of another race. East Greenwich proves to be one of the wealthier more affluent towns in the state with an average yearly income of nearly $170,000 for a household and $190,000 per family (3). The overall diversity of the school is limited, but this is because of the limited diversity of the town. Due to it being a small town, there is little opportunity for rich diversity and difference within the small population that attends Cole Middle School.
Student Achievement
The students at Cole Middle School have impressive achievement compared to the state of Rhode Island. Overall, Cole Middle School students prove to be proficient according to NECAP standards. In 6th grade reading, 96% of students are proficient compared to the state's lower score of 72%. 7th grade reading shows a similar pattern with 96% students proficient at Cole Middle and only 69% proficient for the state's middle schoolers. Similarly, in 8th grade reading 94% are proficient while only 74% are proficient in the entire state. According to SurveyWorks, students claim that technology is a large factor in their English education, which may improve scores. In 6th grade math, 87% are proficient while only 59% are proficient in the state (3). In 7th grade math 91% are proficient while, again, only 59% are proficient in the state. Finally, in 8th grade math 85% are proficient, while 57% are proficient in the state. Almost half of the 8th grade proficient math students at Cole Middle school are proficient with distinction, which is severely better than the rest of the state. This is similar for the grades below, but is significant because of the future of these students' math career in high school. It reflects their success upon leaving the middle school and preparedness for high school. The 8th grade students writing scores and science scores are also significantly higher than the rest of the states at 86% proficient and 76% proficient, respectively. The states proficiency is only 56% and 30%, respectively. In the NCLB program at Cole Middle School, out of the 12 students who were evaluated for the 2013-2014 school year all 12 were proficient in reading and mathematics (3). These are extremely important indicators to the success of the school's curriculum and teaching style. It also brings into question the school's demographics and their impact on the overall test proficiency scores.Teaching
The teaching at Cole Middle School can be argued to be relatively successful if evaluation is based on NECAP scores, but this cannot be said with validity with out considering numerous factors. The teacher:student ratio is 1:16. The state's teacher:student ratio is 1:14. There is no significant difference between these two ratios. It is surprising that in a district that has a higher than average income, there isn't more profit and funds to reduce the ratio below the state's average. 30% of teachers and staff at Cole Middle School have a bachelor's degree, while 35.6% of the state's teachers have a bachelor's degree (1). 51.4% have their master's degree at Cole Middle School, while 49% of the state's teachers do. Less than 5% have an associate's degree or less at Cole Middle School and less than 15% of teachers at Cole Middle School have a post-master's degree or above (1). This data overall shows that Cole Middle School's teachers are proficient and acceptable to be enriching students, the contents of their knowledge are unknown and therefore, proficiency can only be based on degrees earned.Family, Community, and Home Life
The family, community, and home lives of students who attend Cole Middle School are significantly better than the state's average. Students seem to be aware of the heavy involvement of their family and community in their education. Students in this community have very little diversity. This is reflected through the need for subsidized lunch. Only 7% of students at Cole Middle School qualify for subsidized lunch which is 40% less than the state's average (3). According to student surveys, the majority of students feel as though they are being well supported at home and within the community. Students believe that they are receiving ample support from their parents or guardians, and almost all of them believe that there is an adult within the school that is concerned about their well being.Safe and Supportive Schools
Cole Middle School, according to student surveys and statistics, is a very safe and supportive school. There is a 97% attendance rate a CMS and only 5% chronic absenteeism. This is fairly low compared to the state's 15% chronic absenteeism. About 60% of students say that they feel safe in the hallways of their school, which is a lot higher than the state's percentage of 30% (3). These statistics are very similar when students leave the school. These numbers show how the students feel about their communities and how they feel about their overall safety in a place where they spend the most time. The majority of students at CMS feel that they are respected by teachers and staff and that they have a relatively good relationship with teachers. They feel close enough to their teachers and have trust in them. They feel as though they can talk about personal issues and school issues with someone other than a parent or guardian. Having a supportive school life and community can allow a child to ignore their perhaps troubled home life and do better and try harder in school. If a child knows they are supported and cared about, it is argued that they will do better in a school setting.Funding and Resources
Students believe they have adequate resources for learning and having school experiences. They have considerably new textbooks, adequate gym equipment, and technology that works more often than not. According to SurveyWorks, the students feel as if the school is meeting their needs in terms of technology and materials. The school, not more than 5 years old, is clean and up to standard. Per pupil spending is lower than the state average at $14,187 (this is a total for all students in the EG School System). 59% of funding goes towards teaching, 16% to operations, 15% to instructional sport, and 6% to leadership (3). This school seems to have very sufficient funding, but the funding division leads to some questions. Where exactly does the money go? Overall, CMS has sufficient and adequate funding and resources.Cole Middle School is an above average middle school that provides safety, adequate teaching, and outstanding academic achievement. Compared to most schools in Rhode Island, Cole stands out due to its exceptional NECAP scores as well as the overall happiness of the students who attend. Although not rich in diversity, the location and socioeconomic status of the average towns person brings into question what the most suitable environment is for a growing learner.
Sources:
(1) American FactFinder - Community Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2014. Retrieved from
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml.
(2) Archie R. Cole Middle School. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2014. Retrieved from
http://www.egsd.net/middleschool.cfm.
(3) "Archie R. Cole Middle School." RIDE InfoWorks. Rhode Island Department of Education, 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
Broad Rock Middle SchoolIntroduction
Broad Rock Middle School (BRMS) is a public school in Wakefield, Rhode Island that serves fifth and sixth grade students. Located in a suburban town in Southern New England, BRMS contains 510 students and 53 teachers (Broad Rock Middle School). Broad Rock is under the management of Superintendent Kristen Stringfellow and Principal Kathleen Egan (Egan). The physical building and current grade structure of Broad Rock are both quite new. The school was created in the last ten years. As for the grade structure, grade 5 was added and grades 7 and 8 were dropped from the school in the 2010-2011 school year. Broad Rock’s academic and athletic facilities are top-of-the-line and the school offers extensive extracurricular activities to enhance the learning that goes on inside of the classroom.
Academic Performance
Overall, Broad Rock has a 97.9% attendance rate In the Annual Measurable Objectives report for the 2013-2014 school year, Broad Rock met 11 out of a possible 12 objectives. The one objective BRMS did not meet was proficiency in mathematics in which 86% of students proved to be proficient of the NECAP examination. Although BRMS struggled to meet the math standard, 83.8% of its students proved to be proficient in reading. The rest of the state had a 61% proficiency rate in math and 74% proficiency rate in reading, so students at Broad Rock tend to do better on standardized NECAP testing than students in the rest of the state (Broad Rock Middle School).
Faculty Philosophy
Broad Rock Middle School has 53 teachers that educate their students to the best of their abilities. None of the teachers are emergency certified, which means they are better equipped to teach than teachers who an emergency certification. The classroom teacher-student ratio is 1:12, which is two more teachers to every student than the state average. The mission of BRMS is “to provide a safe learning environment that develops the whole child, academically, socially, and emotionally. Broad Rock Middle School will provide a challenging learning community with clear expectations and rigorous standards-based instruction that gives all students the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills and character necessary to successfully contribute to society” (Egan).
Demographics
Most of the students at Broad Rock Middle School are Caucasian and are from families with a moderate-income level. Across the state, 47% of students are eligible for subsidized lunch, but 19% of BRMS students have this characteristic. None of the students at Broad Rock receive English as a Second Language or Bilingual Education Services. When compared to the 6% of students who receive such services across the state, this is a staggeringly low number. When in comes to special education, 9% of BRMS students participate in special education services, while 15% of students in the state are enrolled in a special education program. As seen in the pie chart below, about 12% of students at the 5th and 6th grade school are of minority descent, with the sweeping majority being from a European background (Broad Rock Middle School).
Conclusion
Overall, Broad Rock Middle School is a respectable establishment due to its fine facilities, competent staff, and high levels of student achievement. The students are not extremely diverse but do have some socioeconomic and racial differences. The grade structure is quite unique and provides a small an appropriate learning environment for 5th and 6th grade students. Students at BRMS are able to excel because of the high level of municipal resources being funneled into their school, and the students’ high levels of academic achievement are evidence of that fact. All in all, Broad Rock does not push many educational boundaries but it does do a suitable job of providing services and opportunities to the 5th and 6th grade students of South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
Works Cited:
"Broad Rock Middle School." RIDE InfoWorks. Rhode Island Department of Education, 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
Egan, Kathy. "Student Handbook 2014-2015." Broad Rock Middle School. SK Schools, 2-14. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
"South Kingstown Schools." South Kingstown Schools. N.p., 2014. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.
Central Falls High School students are definitely not performing at a satisfactory level when compared to students in other schools in Rhode Island and in the United States as a whole. This statement can be supported by numerous statistics referring to demographics, proficiency level, SAT and AP scores, attendance rates, and graduation rates in Central Falls. This report is intended to inform families who are possibly looking to move to Central Falls or even people who are interested in working in the district of Central Falls.
Demographics
Before looking at any test scores or proficiency levels of the students attending Central Falls High School, it should be noted that a very small percentage of students at this school are white. A majority of the student body is composed of Hispanics or African Americans (InfoWorks!, 2014). As stated in Diane Ravitch's book Reign of Error, before schools are able to succeed, the problem of segregation must be combated first (Ravitch, 2013). Due to the heavy population of Hispanics and blacks in Central Falls High School, this school is undeniably segregated from white schools. It is this segregation that determines the poor test scores and proficiency levels to be discussed later.
Proficiency
In terms of proficiency, it should be noted that students attending Central Falls High School perform much better in reading proficiency than math. Out of all of the students accounted for, the only group that failed to meet the target for reading proficiency were African Americans. That being said, Hispanics, students with disabilities, English-language learners, and economically disadvantaged students all met the target. Unfortunately, the statistics for math proficiency were not as noteworthy. The only group under this category that met the target were Hispanics. Even though most students met the target for reading proficiency, it is important to realize that the standards were not initially set very high. For example, Hispanics all met the target for reading proficiency, however only 53.5 % of them were actually proficient. Even worse, only 18.8% of Hispanics were proficient in math, however, that was enough for them to meet the target (InfoWorks!, 2014). In conclusion, although the students of Central Falls did meet the proficiency level, the fact of the matter is, the bar was not set very high at all.
SAT & AP Score Performance
Just like the math and reading proficiency levels of Central Falls High School Students, the SAT and AP scores are definitely below average in comparison to the rest of the state and even the rest of the nation, as well. For example, in all three categories of the SAT (math, reading, and writing), Central Falls students fall below the state and nationwide averages. The math average in Central Falls is 410 out of 800 which can be compared to the state average of 479 and the nationwide average of 514. The reading average of the SATs in Central Falls is 390 out of 800, while the state average is 478 and the nationwide average is 496. Lastly, the writing average in Central Falls is 375 out of 800 which can be compared to the state average of 473 and the nationwide average of 488. Along with SAT scores, AP scores are not satisfactory in Central Falls either. Only 24% of students at Central Falls High School score at college level mastery while 55% of students in the state of Rhode Island score at college level mastery on AP exams (InfoWorks!, 2012). Perhaps these test scores could be due to the fact that Central Falls students simply do not have the money to afford the proper forms of SAT prep courses or to afford review books for the SAT and AP exams. As previously noted on the community page, the economic situation of Central Falls is definitely poor.
Teacher to Student Ratio
Statistics on teachers in Central Falls High School compared to the rest of the state, is one area that is satisfactory in this school. The teacher to student ratio of classroom teachers in Central Falls is 1:13, while in the state of Rhode Island this ratio is 1:14 (InfoWorks!, 2012). By having smaller class sizes, teachers will not have to focus on as many children, and therefore they may be able to devote more of their personal attention to students who may be struggling. However, this ratio is definitely not consistent with the rest of the findings of the district. Even with smaller class sizes, students in Central Falls High School are still performing below other students in Rhode Island and around the country
Attendance and Graduation Rates
Two more important statistics provided by Central Falls High School is the attendance and graduation rates. First, only 88% of students in Central Falls actually attend school while in Rhode Island, 92% of students attend. Also, 40% of students of Central Falls High School are chronically absent. This is a huge number of students in comparison to the mere 24% of students in Rhode Island who have chronic absences. 73.8% of students in Central Falls High School graduate in four years while, statewide, 79.9% of students graduate on time. Lastly, the percentage of students that drop out of school in Central Falls is 14.8%, while in the state of Rhode Island, the percentage of dropouts is only 9.1% (InfoWorks!, 2012). The reason that these graduation rates are lower in comparison to the state is, indeed, because a significant amount of students do not attend school as much as they should in Central Falls. The fact of the matter is, if a student doesn't attend school they will not learn and, in turn, will definitely not graduate on time.
Conclusion
Central Falls High School students are not performing as well as other students around them. They are consistently falling short on standardized tests despite having smaller class sizes. Perhaps this underachievement could be due to numerous factors such as poor health and economic hardship as outlined in the community description of Central Falls. The facts stated in the report are definitely important for a number of reasons. The first reason being that families who are planning to move to Central Falls or people who are looking to work here should be well educated on the area as well as what it has to offer. This report is also important because it is imperative Central Falls High School finds an alternative to their current methods in order to boost test scores and the overall achievement of the school.
References:
InfoWorks! (2014). Accountability Summary and Classification 2013-2014. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/district/central-falls/accountability/accountability-summary/2013/3.InfoWorks! (2012, 2014). Central Falls High School. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/central-falls-high-school.Ravitch, D. (2013). By Diane Ravitch - Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools (8/18/13 edition.). Knopf.
Peace Dale Elementary School is located in the South Kingstown school district. Although it is one of several elementary schools, it receives rave reviews from parents who have children enrolled in the school. One parent writes "One of my children is special needs. He has adha. The principle is wonderful, he would take time out of his busy schedule to spend time with my son with games, checkers or just to talk". Another parent writes of the general education, "Peace Dale is a fantastic elementary school...I have two children currently in the school and they love it and are doing extremely well academically!" While opinions are wonderful, the following paragraphs will discuss how Peace Dale Elementary ranks against other schools in categories such as education, health and safety, race, income, and employment/family status.
Fourth graders that are NECAP tested at Peace Dale score higher in math and reading than both the majority of Rhode Island schools and South Kingstown schools. In reading, more than 90% of Peace Dale students are proficient or better, whereas in S.K. as a whole 90% are proficient or better and in Rhode Island overall just over 70% of students are proficient or better. In math, nearly 90% of Peace Dale fourth graders are proficient, while in S.K. about 85% are proficient and in Rhode Island only 65% of students tested proficient. In science however, S.K. is almost 70% proficient while Peace Dale is slightly below, around 66%. But Peace Dale is still ahead of the rest of Rhode Island in science, which scores at around 45% proficiency. All told, Peace Dale has more competition from its own town in bettering their test scores than it does from all Rhode Island school's averages. Its education is on a better path than most schools in the state. As far as special education goes, there are programs in place for Occupational Therapists, Early Childhood Special Needs, Physical Therapist and Speech/Language Pathologists.
While health and safety records on Peace Dale are not available, those for South Kingstown are. As of 2013, there were 0% of infants born at high risk in South Kingstown, but in all of Rhode Island there were 3%. Women with delayed prenatal care totaled 8.2% in S.K. and 13.7% in Rhode Island; and similarly infant mortality rate was 2 in every 1,000 born in S.K., but was 6.4 out of 1,000 in all of Rhode Island. Teen birth rates were 3.2 out of every 1,000 children in 2012 in S.K., and were 23.3 out of every 1,000 children born in Rhode Island. In 2013 child abuse and neglect affected 8.3 out of every 1,000 children in S.K., and affected 14 out of every 1,000 in Rhode Island overall. Out of 1,000 children 4.2 in S.K. have incarcerated parents, less than the 11.2 out of every thousand in Rhode Island. In 2012 in S.K. 38% of domestic violence incidences occurred when there were children present, while the same statistic was 31% for all of Rhode Island. Its interesting that in almost any other statistic, S.K. is safer than the rest of Rhode Island besides that one. However, evidence is fairly conclusive that South Kingstown and Peace Dale alike are safer communities than most.
Rhode Island is not known for being incredibly racially diverse, and Peace Dale is no exception. Out of the 503 students enrolled, 90.7% are white, whereas in Rhode Island 81.4% of people are white. Peace Dale has 4.2% American Indian students, 2% Asian students, 2% Hispanic students, and 1.2% black students. Rhode Island has 0.6% American Indians, 2.9% Asians, 12.4% Hispanics, and 5.7% blacks, in addition to many other races. The balance is of course, tilted one way or another because Peace Dale is not a city school and Rhode Island encompasses both city and rural communities.
The median household income for Peace Dale is $74,970 and is somewhat higher than the South Kingstown income, which is $73,624. There is a 6.4% poverty rate for Peace Dale, but S.K. has 7.1% poverty rate, most of whom are children under 18. There is an 8% unemployment rate in Peace Dale that are below the poverty line, and that number climbs to 15.7% for South Kingstown overall. Luckily, there are homeless shelters and meals given out to those who cannot afford them in the area. In S.K. about 13,139 out of 14,170 people who are capable of working are employed, and in Peace Dale 10,244 out of 11,031 who are capable of working do have a job. This translates to a 92.7% employment rate in S.K. and a 92.9% employment rate in Peace Dale. There is essentially no difference. But in Rhode Island overall there is a 90.5% employment rate, making S.K. slightly better than the state average. In Peace Dale, between 2008 and 2012, 50.4% of households were one person households, the rest were two or more. Families make up 39.9% of these households and married couple-families make up 18.4% of these households. Rhode Island overall had 42.8% of houses as one person households, the rest being two or more. Families made up 45.9% of these households and married couple-families made up 20.5 % of these households.
To conclude, Peace Dale is an above average elementary school for Rhode Island in nearly every category. Peace Dale produces students that test well and the students themselves come from financially and safety stable homes for the most part. Although it is not racially diverse, this may be due to the lack of minority children living in non-urban settings. Most parents are employed, but families come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, as they do throughout the state. Peace Dale is not only all these things, but it is also very well reviewed by parents of the students that go there.
Links used:
http://www.localschooldirectory.com/public-school/75216/RI
http://www.trulia.com/schools/RI-Wakefield/Peace_Dale_Elementary_School/
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF
http://www.rikidscount.org/matriarch/documents/SouthKingstown2014.pdf
Dr. Earl F. Calcutt Middle School
For this project I am trying to deepen my knowledge on the schools in an area that is different than one I am used to. It will help me understand the American public school system better than I have before since I only came from one school and that is all I used to know. The research I have conducted into this Central Falls middle school could help others who are trying to understand the school system in Central Falls.
The Calicutt Middle School is located in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Central Falls, Rhode Island is just outside Providence and Pawtucket, Rhode Island which makes it a more urban area than suburban. Calcutt Middle School is located on 112 Washington Street in Central Falls, Rhode Island.Calicutt Middle School has one mission, which is posted on their website, "Calcutt Middle School is a standards-driven teaching and learning community that promotes literacy, effective communication, problem solving, critical thinking, civic responsibility and the skills necessary for living and working in a culturally diverse society." They want to help the community by helping the children first, which will in turn help the community and our society. (Central Falls School District)
This school has a wide diversity of students of all different races. The largest population in Calcutt Middle School is Hispanic with 76% of the students in the school. The next largest population in Calcutt Middle School is African American with 11% of the students.This is followed by 9% of the students being white, 3% of the students being multiracial and finally 1% of the students at Calcutt Middle School being Native American (Rhode Island Education Department). Those who live in Central Falls make a median income in this city is $29,268 which is only slightly above the needed income for a family of four, $24,000.(United States Census Bureau) and the entirety of Rhode Island families make upwards of around $68,000 a year. With the median income of Central Falls so low the schools have to step up and help the students more.
In Rhode Island schools there are these tests at the end of each grade for middle schools, they are called NECAP tests. The NECAP tests are tests that try to find out the proficiency of a subject that each student has to take, things like Reading, Writing and Math, these tests are taken at the end of each grade level. In Calcutt Middle School the 8th graders scored significantly in all areas than the rest of the state’s population. In Science 8th graders scored 8% proficiency while the rest of Rhode Island scored 30% or in Math where the 8th graders scored 15% to the 57% of all the other Rhode Island residence, that is a 42% difference between proficiency in one subject (Rhode Island Education Department). This is just the 8th grade, the 7th graders were 19% of proficient in the math they needed to know while Rhode Island as a whole was 59% proficient. In reading the 7th graders had a proficiency of 32% while the rest of the state was 69% proficient in reading (Rhode Island Education Department). Those who also go to Calcutt Middle School include 6th graders and 5th graders. The 6th graders had the proficiency of 35% in reading while the rest of Rhode Island was 72%, and they were 26% proficient at math while the rest of the state was 59%. Meanwhile the 5th graders were 36% in writing proficiency, 44% proficient in reading and 37% proficient in math. Going from last to first Rhode Island as a whole was 64% proficient in writing, 74% proficient in reading and 61% proficient in math (Rhode Island Education Department). These numbers show that the students of Calcutt Middle School are under proficiency in all areas in all grades.
The funding for the district of Central Falls and the Calcutt Middle School. In this district they spend a total of $18,910 per pupil in the district while the rest of Rhode Island only spends $15,370 per pupil. This shows that even though the spending is higher in the Central Falls district which means that the students should be doing better because they have more money spent on them to help them, but there are still things going array when it comes to scores and proficiency in subjects. In middle school they spend less than what is spent in other years of study, they spend $2,585 for middle school, that is low because most goes to the instruction and little goes to really helping the child in the long run.(Rhode Island Education Department)
Calcutt Middle School has 596 students and only 50 teachers (Rhode Island Education Department). This puts the teacher to student ratio at 1:12 but that is to all the teachers at the school so including people who do not actually teach classes. The ratio for student to classroom teacher is 1:14 (Rhode Island Education Department). In this school there is 0% of teachers with Emergency Certification while statewide it is 1% of teachers. Also in this school there are 9% of teachers who are not highly qualified teachers while in the rest of Rhode Island that is only 1% (Rhode Island Education Department).
Calcutt Middle School like most schools in Rhode Island after Common Core was established, the schools set targets they have to get done before the end of the year. This middle school in Central Falls got 6 of the 18 targets they set for themselves, which is less than half of the targets and in reality that is one third of the targets they set getting done. That is really not good because they should be able to pass all of the targets they set in the beginning of the year. They passed more targets in the reading then in math, so they are getting better in reading proficiency.(Rhode Island Education Department)
Overall in Central Falls based on different characteristics the school system should be good because it tries to provide places for their students to interact with one another and make themselves a better future. The schools are average, or at least a little below it, but for the neighborhood/community they are doing well and trying to help the students. For Calcutt Middle School they want to help the students not only be better at academics but also as people in the community as their mission states, they want to teach their students skills they would need academically but also responsibilities they would need for their communities.
Sources:
Rhode Island Department of Education. “Central Falls School District.” InfoWorks, n.d. http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/district/central-falls.
Rhode Island Department of Education. “Calcutt Middle School.” InfoWorks, n.d. http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/calcutt-middle-school.
United States Census Bureau. “United States Census: Central Falls, Rhode Island.” United States Census Bureau, 2010. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml.
Central Falls School District. “Calcutt Middle School.” Central Falls School District, n.d. http://calcutt.cfschools.net/.
West Kingston Elementary School (WKES) is a part of the South Kingstown School District and is located in Kingston, Rhode Island. The school has a student population of 297 ranging in academic level from kindergarten through grade four with a teacher student ratio of 1:13. The community of WKES is demographically diverse and a great place for learning to take place. Safety wise, the school is among the safer learning communities in Rhode Island in the eyes of both students and teachers. WKES also offers various extracurricular and special programs to the students and families of their community which give students to become more involved in the school and its activities. West Kingston Elementary School is a very productive school and is above the average educational quality for elementary schools in Rhode Island.
Demographics
Compared to the other elementary schools of the South Kingstown School District, West Kingston Elementary School maintains a fairly diverse community. Of the 297 person student population, 54.6% of students are male and the remaining 47.4% are females. Additionally the school's population come from a variety of backgrounds. Similarly to the student population of all Rhode Island schools, about 77% of the WKES population considers themselves white. The next most prominent race at WKES is those who classify themselves as Asians. About 12% of the school's student population classifies themselves as Asian this is fairly high considering the 5% of students who consider themselves Asian statewide. The third highest race that students identify as at WKES is black and/or African American. This accounts for about 5% of the school's student population and the remaining 6% of the population classifies themselves either American Indian, or Pacific Islander. This wide range of ethnicities present in the schools makes it a diverse learning community which gives a representation of the school which is similar to the population representation of the state.
School Climate and Safety
Overall, the West Kingston Elementary School environment is a very safe place. About 95% of students felt safe both inside and around the premises of the school. This safety ranking is about 10% higher than the average school ranking on the state level. When parents were asked to if their student's school was a safe place, 76.3% of WKES parents strongly agreed that their school was safe while only 42.6% of parents in the state responded the same way. Additionally, of the 2815 elementary school suspensions in Rhode Island, zero came from West Kingston Elementary School. In terms of attendance rate, the school ranks the same as the average for the state at 95% and WKES has a chronic absenteeism of 9% while the state average is 13%. West Kingston Elementary School is a very safe learning environment and ranks higher than the average Rhode Island school in that aspect.
Academic Performance
West Kingston Elementary School is academically higher ranking than the average Rhode Island elementary school. On testing for "No Child Left Behind," 76.4% of WKES students were proficient in reading, although this does not meet the target percentage of proficient students, it is above the 71.9% average of all Rhode Island elementary schools. On the writing portion of this test, 79% of students from WKES were proficient in reading and the students did meet the proficiency goal. This is impressive compared to the 61% average of Rhode Island elementary school students who were proficient and on average did not meet the proficiency goal. Students from WKES also ranked higher proficiency wise on the NECAP, New England Common Assessment Program. Of the third grade students at WKES, 75% were proficient in math and 78% proficient in reading these proficiency rates are high compared to the Rhode Island rates of 56% and 69% respectively. The fourth grade student proficiency for these areas was also higher than the Rhode Island averages, but not as dramatically. The academic performance of West Kingston Elementary School is impressive and in many areas above that of the average Rhode Island elementary school.
Special Programs
As a family involved school, West Kingston Elementary School has a wide variety of special programs available not only for the students, but also their families. Students at WKES have access to tutoring programs and before- and after-school programs focused on helping enhance the student's academic achievement. Some programs available to the families are counseling, parent support groups, and family literacy programs, all of which are focused on aiding the families. All programs are available to students and their families through their attendance of West Kingston Elementary School and may even be offered to other members of the West Kingston community.
Extracurricular Activities
There are many extracurricular activities offered to the students of West Kingston Elementary School. Some of the educationally based programs are the homework clubs and academic enrichment clubs such as chess club and robotics club. Other activities through West Kingston Elementary School include sports, music programs, and theater programs. All of these extracurricular activities reach out to students to enhance their learning experience and incorporate new ideas into the children's lives.
Conclusion
West Kingston Elementary School is a positive learning environment for children in kindergarten through fourth grade. The school safety and academic performance are what put it above many other schools in Rhode Island. Additionally, it has many programs to help the students and their families become more involved in the community. Overall, West Kingston Elementary School presents a diverse learning environment with opportunities for the whole community to become involved in.
References"West Kingston Elementary School." Info Works! Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2014. Web. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/west-kingston-elementary-school
Context Report- Newport City, RI
Dr. M. H. Sullivan School
Introduction:
The Dr. M. H. Sullivan school was closed after the 2012-2013 academic year, but it used to be located at 453 Broadway in Newport, Rhode Island 02840. It was a K-5 school, but dropped the fifth grade and kindergarten in the recent years before closing completely last year. A few other schools in Newport have been closed down in recent years as well.
Demographics:
There were 286 students in this school and 22 teachers, creating an 11 to 1 teacher to student ratio. 44% of the students were females, and 56% males. There was a 25.5% white population within the school, 27.6% black, 13.3% two or more races, 29.7% Hispanic, and a very small percentage of Asian/Pacific Islanders and American Indian/Alaskan Natives. The district spent about $16,441 in 2010 per student at the school, and 87.8% of students were eligible for Subsidized Lunch.
Student Achievement:
While test scores overall have improved over the years, both math and reading, Newport scores significantly lower than Rhode Island as a whole, and the Dr. M. H. Sullivan School scored even lower than that. From 2007-2010, the third grade math scores went up from about 10% to 35%, while reading went from 40% to 50%. Fifth grade reading stayed consistently low at around 15%, while fifth grade math jumped from 15%-40% in two years.
Teaching: No teachers in the Dr. M. H. Sullivan school had emergency certification, compared to only 1% of the Rhode Island teachers that do.
Families and Communities: need to find
Compared to Rhode Island state averages in many categories, Wakefield Elementary School scores well. Only 17% of the students qualify for subsidized lunch, a low number compared to Rhode Island’s 47% total. 0% of the students need bilingual assistance which isn’t surprising considering 92.3% of the students are white. All targets of the No Child Left Behind Act were met except for math and reading proficiency in minority consolidated groups due to participation rate. Wakefield Elementary School has a high attendance rate at 96%, and a low absentee rate of 5%, lower than the state’s absentee rate of 13%.
In Rhode Island, there were 2,815 discipline incidents resulting in suspension during the 2012-2013 school year in elementary schools. Impressively, none of these incidents occurred in Wakefield Elementary School. Most students agree that the school rules are fair and they feel safe in school. 94.1% of students concurred they absolutely feel safe in the school building. Students reported that they frequently eat breakfast and get a sufficient amount of physical activity.
On the SurveyWorks Student Survey, teachers had exceptional ratings for giving good instructions and giving a fair amount of homework. From employees' perspectives, over 70% agreed that the administration is helpful and active when needed, about 20% higher than the average evaluation. The parent-teacher communication is strong at Wakefield Elementary; 61% of teachers feel the parents of their students are well-informed when assignments are given, again 20% higher than state average. 77.8% of parents attend parent-teacher conferences frequently.
Overall, Wakefield Elementary School is impressive and well-rounded, and the school runs smoothly with the cooperation of staff, students, and parents. Many of the Survey Works ratings were higher than state averages such as attendance rates and parent-teacher relationships. In other categories like safety and finances, Wakefield Elementary School scored well too. The community as a whole is well off, and in return the school is respectable and wholesome.
“InfoWorks! South Kingstown.” Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2014. http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/wakefield-elementary-school.
“Wakefield Elementary School,” n.p. n.d. http://wa.skschools.net/. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
“Rhode Island Education Survey Suite School Report 2013-2014.” Survey Works, n.d. http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/files/surveyworks/2013-2014/combined/surveyworks-2013-2014-wakefield-elementary-school-student-parent-teacher-es.pdf. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
The Captain G. Harold Hunt School is the only pre-kindergarten school located in Central Falls. Previously, it held kindergarteners and first graders. However, in the 2013-14 school year the kindergarten and first grade programs were dropped. It is home to 141 students and 11 teachers, who aim to achieve academic success as a community.
Undoubtedly, poverty is an issue in Central Falls. Statewide, the “children in families receiving cash benefits” percentage is at 4%. In Central Falls the percentage is moderately higher at 10%. The increased poverty level at the town level is visible in the Captain G. Harold Hunt School. The student eligibility for subsidized lunch is alarmingly 44% higher than the state average, at 91%. Very much related to this statistic, the school’s attendance rate is 14% lower than the state average, at 81%. Without resources that support academic growth at home, students likely are not motivated nor encouraged to learn.
On a positive note, there have been no issues associated with poor behavior at the Captain G. Harold Hunt School. There have been no reported incidents of suspension in the last year. The preschoolers have been keeping busy with their schoolwork, enthusiastically expanding as learners. Whether it’s learning the letters in their names or learning to count, the Hunt School strives to produce excellent students.
The Captain G. Harold Hunt School is a school with a positive mentality, despite the fact that it is impacted negatively by poverty. Pre-kindergarten is a time where learning is essential, as students absorb a plethora of knowledge. That being said, the Hunt School is a significant stepping stone in the path of the students of Central Falls.
In the community description that was written by the students who were working on the central falls district it was made clear that the district is much worse off economically. Families below the federal poverty threshold in Central Falls is 41.5%, while in Rhode Island the percentage is only 18.4%. This is a shocking statistic that almost half of the families living in the district are below the poverty line and this poverty transfers to the students living in these households. According to the Infoworks site on Ella Risk Elementary 86% of the students at this school are eligible for subsidized lunch compared to 47% statewide average a staggeringly significant percent that will ultimately affect the schools that these students attend.
Cantal falls is an urban area with a higher percent of minorities than suburban environments with a predominantly white population and has more students who are speakers of a different language other than English. Of those students surveyed by the 2013-2014 Surveyworks Student Survey 57.7% identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino compared to the 23.4% state average. The community description of central falls that was written previously shows similar percents of ethnic groups living in central falls as the percents of ethnic students that attend Ella Risk. This correlates to the amount of students in the school who receive ESL/Bilingual Education Services to teach those students the English language and would affect the classroom environments to focus more on those students due to the language barrier. 20% of students in this school receive bilingual education services as opposed to the state average of 6%.
All of these factors contribute to a poorer performance by students attending this school than students who attend other schools in the state in both math and reading levels. The Infoworks site on this school shows that third graders are already not as proficient as other students in math and reading with 34% proficient in math and 56% proficient in reading compared to the state average of 56% proficient in math and 69% proficient in reading. This gap becomes even larger as students enter 4th grade with 45% of students in this school proficient in math and 49% in reading compared to the state with 63% of 4th graders proficient in math and 70% proficient in reading.
These are the general statistics of students in the Ella Risk School in Central Falls. These statistics are also factors that help to understand why the central falls district poverty rates of children have a very large negative affect on the overall quality of education the students will receive. Conditions such as eligibility for subsidized lunch, bilingual education services as well as the proficiency in math scores by grade level are all factors that support the image of the School as a school within an Urban Environment.
http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/ella-risk-school - Infoworks School Data
South Kingstown
Introduction
There is only one high school for South Kingstown, RI. South Kingstown High School is located on 215 Columbia Street in Wakefield RI. The school consists of 1073 students and 118 teachers. Students goto school Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 7:30 am to 2:02 pm. They currently have 92 classroom teachers and 5 school councilors. The departments of applied learning, fine arts, english, guidance, health and PE, library, literacy, math, music, science, social studies, special education, and world language are offered at the high school. This is a wide range of departments might show that the school is well funded which is a large advantage to it's students. There are numerous clubs offered at the high school such as art club, drama club, book groups, math team, and photography club. They have a total of 33 clubs offered, showing that the school is well involved in their students extracurricular activities and they reach out to many different interests that the students could have. In addition to clubs there are many sport teams available. Some sports offered are football, cross country, soccer, field hockey, tennis, volleyball, basketball, and swimming. In total the school offers 19 sports that students can play. It would appear that the school is well funded with all of the departments, clubs, and sports offered to students.Statistics
Out of the 1073 students, 86% are White, 3% are Native American, 4% are Multiracial, 4% are Hispanic, 2% are Asian, and 2% are African American. The majority clearly consisting of white students. The attendance rate for South Kingstown High School is 94% while the overall Rhode Island High School attendance rate is 92%. An average of 11% of students at South Kingstown High School receive special education services while 15% of students state wide receive the services. Currently 17% of students are eligible for a subsidized lunch and 11% of students are recipients of special education services. Last year, South Kingstown high school had 431 incidents of suspicion. The percent of students who graduate in four years is 89.7% while the Rhode Island high school average is 79.7%. South Kingstown is above the overall Rhode Island high school averages in all the categories listed.Environment and Geography
South Kingstown is the largest town in Washington County with a population of 30,639. The South Kingstown area includes the villages of Kingston, West Kingston, Wakefield, Peace Dale, Snug Harbor, Tuckertown, East Matunuk, Matunuk, Green Hill, and Perryville. South Kingstown has over 10 miles of beaches in addition to these villages.Income, Poverty, Health, and Safety
South Kingstown has 7.3% of the population below the poverty level. This is less that the Rhode Island state average of 15.2%. In addition to this, 4.8% of children fall below the poverty level. In South Kingstown high school 17% of students are able to receive subsidized lunch, meaning they fall below the poverty level and qualify to receive free lunch. This percentage seems high considering all the activities and programs offered through the school. With what appears as good funding, it would be expected that the surrounding area would not typically fall under the poverty level. South Kingstown high school had 431 incidents of suspicion last year. State wide there were 17,944 incidents of suspicion. This rate is very low compared to the state wide incidents. One can infer that South Kingstown high school is a safe place to be from this low rate.Conclusion
In conclusion, South Kingstown high school offers many programs and clubs to its students. There is not much diversity amongst the students, the majority being white. This could cause some issues for the students of minority such as being inferior because they are only 14% of the population all together. The attendance rate and rate of students who graduate in four years are both relatively high showing the success of the high school and drive the students have. A somewhat surprising amount of students receive subsidized lunch and are under the poverty level. This is surprising because with all the clubs and sports offered one would assume that the school receives a lot of funding from outside sources and typically if a school gets a lot of funding the community tends to be well off. The overall safety of South Kingstown high school is good and there is a low level of incidents of suspicion.Citations
South Kingstown High School Home Page." South Kingstown High School Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
http://hs.skschools.net/
South Kingstown High School - School and District Data - RIDE InfoWorks." South Kingstown High School - School and District Data - RIDE InfoWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/south-kingstown-high-school
"South Kingstown, Rhode Island." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Nov. 2014. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Kingstown,_Rhode_Island
South Kingstown, Rhode Island (RI) Poverty Rate Data - Information about Poor and Low Income Residents." South Kingstown, Rhode Island (RI) Poverty Rate Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-South-Kingstown-Rhode-Island.html
LOOK UP NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND!!!!
Introduction
This town is a small town with one Middle school for the entire town. Barrington Middle School is grades 6th through 8th. Majority of these students appear to come from similar backgrounds; most students are white, and middle or upper class. I plan to analyze the academic performance, school safety, demographics, facilities, special programs and extracurriculars in relation to Barrington Middle School. This report is intended to inform other educators the differences in school systems and why Barrington Middle School reaches such success compared to other schools in the state of Rhode Island.
Academic Performance
Barrington Middle School is full of students who held to a level of expectation higher than other students throughout Rhode Island. As shown by infoworks.ride.ri.gov Barrington Middle School are above the average when in comes to statewide testing such as the NECAPs proficiency levels in math and reading ranging from grades 6th to 8th range from 95% to 82% while statewide scores range from 69% to 57%(Rhode Island..). Barrington Middle School's education is above the states average, this shows us that these students are held to higher level than students through out the state of Rhode Island. These statistics are found from high stakes testing taken by Barrington Middle School school students and shows these students preforming higher than other schools in the state. This made me curious to whether these students aren't necessarily smarter than other students but rather are prepared for these types of tests more so than other schools.
School Safety
The students who attend Barrington Middle School do not have to worry or be concerned about their day to day safety; there are many explanations to why this is so. These students are less financially needy, only 6% receive subsidized lunch while the statewide average is 47%. This shows that a much lower margin of students are in need of financial support when it comes to food. This speaks to the income of these students parents and their backgrounds. There is also a low level of absenteeism in the students of Barrington Middle School, only 6% while in all of Rhode Island the average is 15%. From my prior knowledge I am aware that students often miss school due to drugs, or work; this is not an issue for these students because they generally come from a stable background. Thankfully, the school is not forced to suspend many students either only a total of 32 students were suspended in the 2012-2013 school year. I conclude that this is because these students are brought up with relationships that are full of respect, and therefore live lives that are held to a higher standard. I argue that due to low levels of poverty and absenteeism this is a safe school, mainly because this is a safe community(Rhode Island Kids...).
Demographics
Barrington Middle School is not particularly diverse and the majority of these students come from similar backgrounds. The Middle School is 90% White students, 6% Asian students, 1% African American, and 1% Hispanic, the final 2% is multiracial; these statistics are right in line with the towns statistics, 89% White students, 5% Asian, 2% Hispanic, 1% African American, and the final 2% is multiracial. Having students who have similar backgrounds makes it much simpler for teachers to educate these students verses teaching students from different backgrounds in schools that are in an urban cities; this provides an advantage to Barrington Middle School teachers(Rhode Island Kids...).
Facilities
This is the only public middle school in Barrington, RI. This school is 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Being a small town there is no demand for more than one middle school. One may argue these facilities need updates, but this is not proven by any statistics shown related to their level of education.
Special programs
Barrington Middle School was named 2014 National Blue Ribbon School. Barrington Middle School provides support services for those who are special education, in addition to counseling for students who need guidance for many different reasons including school, academic, social, and personal circumstances. Barrington Middle School has a lot to offer their students, I believe this is why their students must be so successful because they have a foundation in which they are able to flourish(Guidance...).
Extracurricular Programs
Students who attend the middle school are lucky enough to have many options on what to do once classes are out of session. Barrington Middle School offers Fall, Winter, and Spring Interscholastic Sports for both boys and girls, these sports require try outs. Additionally they offer Intramural Sports in both the fall and the spring for both boys and girls without try outs. For those who are not the sport type they also have student organizations and clubs, some of these include; Eagle Gazette (School Newspaper), Recycling Club, Robotics, Art Club, Community Service Club, Student Council, Math Club, Yearbook Committee, Science Olympiad, and CHOICE. The Music department offers for students to be apart of the Marching Band (and they participate in the local Memorial Day Parade), the Jazz Band, Pops Band, Pops Choir, and A Capella Choir. Barrington Middle School offers much more than just education, they offer ways for their students to stretch their minds outside of the classroom. This is another reason to why their students are able to reach their full potential is because they have extracurriculars that allow them to express themselves in other ways than just their school work(Guidance...).
Conclusion
In conclusion, this Barrington Middle School is a school where there is mostly white students where we have high expectations for our students. This is because these students do not have many challenges other than their school work. This is a legitimate conclusion that I can make from my data because the demographics state that there are 90% white students, with higher than average test score, and only 6% need lunch provided by the state. These students are coming from backgrounds that are strong and stable environments where these students are expected to strive.
References
Guidance Department. (2013, January 1). Retrieved November 9, 2014, from http://www3.barringtonschools.org/BMS/guidance/default.aspx
Rhode Island Kids Count. (n.d.). 2014 Factbook. Retrieved from http://www.rikidscount.org/matriarch/documents/Barrington2014.pdf
ride.gov. (n.d.). Barrington Middle School. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/barrington-middle-school